The Shards of a Broken Krystal
by staindgrey
Summary: It has been over a year since the Star Fox team smothered the Aparoid threat. Now, with the times of peace being shadowed by impending danger, can Fox continue working with Krystal by his side or is she too much of a burden to bear? FoxKrystal fic
1. A Weakness Revealed

**Disclaimer: **Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

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**The Shards of a Broken Krystal – **by Staindgrey

**Chapter I – A Weakness Revealed**

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The Cornerian Military supplies warehouse lay dormant within the shade of night. No lights were on, leaving the depot in a blanket of shadows. Outside its three main entrances stood four guards each, all equipped with blasters and night vision helmets. The majority of them were hardly doing their job, choosing rather to sit comfortably against the walls of their outposts and chat about their civilian lives. In these times of peace following the Aparoid War over a year ago, there was little need for heavy security around the facility, let alone still having the facility. These guards knew this, and they took full advantage of their easy-money job.

"They're ripe for the picking," an eager, smoke-killed voice said hoarsely. The body from which the voice came was enclosed in a black cape-like garment, covering most of his body, save his face and lower legs. He turned away from the wall of branches he had been looking through and back towards his squad sitting neatly in a circle, all of their eyes focused on him. They were dressed just as their leader, wrapped in large pieces of gray cloth that covered their bodies and the assortments of weapons beneath. They wore black pants and stealth boots made of leather, further showing their determination for secrecy. Their beady eyes remained hidden under their cloaks, but their black and white snouts were exposed just enough to tell that they were there beneath the darkened sky.

The group had named themselves 'The Raccoon Renegades'. Their leader, Romura Kune, was bent on overthrowing the current Cornerian government. His ambitions had been put on hold, however, during the Aparoid War, as the military was far too prepared for a measly group of stealth fighters to do any harm. But now, after more than a year of calm, the government was, as he said, "ripe for the picking." His plan was simple: overtake small military warehouses and commandeer their weaponry. By staying under the radar, the military would have no idea who to go after, and would try to keep the outbreaks concealed. With the Renegades' power increasing and the military's diminishing, they could accumulate more members and start a rebellion, eventually ending in a complete overthrow of the Cornerian government. Kune's plan was full-proof, and so far, it had been running quite smoothly. This was their fourth warehouse in just the first month, and yet the military didn't even bother to post more guards. _Pathetic, _Kune thought, _a government so weak deserves to be demolished. _With a sneer finding its way across his snout, the Renegades' leader spoke.

"Alright, men, it's time. We shall now split up into our three divisions and execute the plan as it was drawn up before. There are only four guards stationed at each entrance, so killing them swiftly and silently shouldn't be a problem. Also remember not to trip any alarms; if you do, your head is mine." At that moment, his smirk faded into a menacing frown as he examined his crew, all still sitting and listening intently to their master's orders. He continued, "Any questions?"

One of the members in the very back of the circle stood to his feat, his head lowered so that his cloak covered all of his face but the snout. "Sir, what if we encounter some trouble along the way?"

"Trouble?" Kune's head cocked to the side as he tried to understand what he was getting at. "You should be able to handle whatever they throw at us, that's what you've been trained to-" He stopped as he noticed something peculiar about the standing member. He didn't wear the same black pants and leather boots as the others; instead, he sported dark crimson boots and green military cargos. Was he...?

"A spy!" Kune exclaimed as he reached beneath his cloak for his beam saber. As his bewildered followers hastily tried to ready themselves as well, the intruder unveiled his blaster from beneath his robe and started firing away. He hit each gang member with precision unlike any normal military combatant- he had to be part of some elite unit. As he fired, his accomplice stood to her feet as well, firing at the opposite row of Renegades. Finally, the ones still remaining began to charge, their beam sabers in hand and ready to attack. Both spies leapt back and continued firing, though most of their shots were deflected by the Renegades' now drawn sabers. As the group quickly came closer, the two intruders surprisingly lunged towards them, each slamming one of them with the butt of their blaster and knocking him out cold. They then took the fallen one's saber and blocked the incoming strike with it, then followed by countering with their own slash. It was obvious that they were well trained for this mission; Kune could see that very easily. But as he watched the two slaughter his men, fear began to take a hold of him, sending chills up his spine like the bitter winds of Fichina. Finally, he had seen enough, and dashed forward in an attacking position.

"Krystal!" one trespasser yelled as the other felt a searing pain in her left arm. Kune had struck her from the side, but only nipped his target's arm, missing the bone. As Krystal grabbed the tear in pain, she felt a furry yet firm arm grab a hold of her and yank her against its owner's hard body. Soon after, she felt the hot sensation of a beam saber held dangerously close to her now exposed neck.

"Put down your weapon!" Kune demanded. The cloaked figure about ten meters away stared him down from his shadowed position for a moment, then dropped his saber to the ground beside his blaster. All of Kune's men were now disposed of, leaving only him, his hostage, and her potential rescuer left. "Reveal yourself!" was his next order.

The spy replied by quickly shedding his gray cloak, unveiling his tan fur and space armada uniform. It consisted of the green cargos and crimson boots, along with matching green and crimson sleeves and a white bulletproof vest with the Star Fox emblem embroidered on the left side.

"Well, if it isn't the legendary Fox McCloud," Kune stated with a chuckle. "I've heard stories about you, McCloud, about how you're _invincible..._ about how you defeated Andross's army single-handedly... about how you've fallen for a certain blue fox..." He then clutched Krystal's arm where the wound was located, sending shots of searing pain through her body and a yelp through her mouth. Fox started towards him, but was immediately stopped by the sight of Kune's saber inching even closer to the sapphire fox's collar. Fox growled at the raccoon, who merely sniggered in response. "Don't you dare come any closer, McCloud, unless you'd like to see what a beam saber can do to a young girl's delicate neck..."

"You..." he scoffed. What could he do, though? Fox tried to examine the situation systematically, but the thought of Krystal in danger was all that consumed his every thought. How could he save her if he couldn't even stop to think up a plan? He tried to shake away the thought of her as any more than an accomplice, but it was useless as he heard her trembling voice utter, "Fox..."

"Let her go!" he howled, his fists clenching into balls of rage at his sides.

"Why should I?" the raccoon shot back. "You've killed my entire squad, and now you expect me to just let you two go free?"

"Of course not," Fox snarled in return, "I'm gonna have to kill you for that to happen."

"You're in no position to be making threats here, boy," Kune growled.

The two mammals stood in a stalemate from there on out. Kune had control of Krystal's fate and Fox was too scared for her life to do anything. He had a mini-blaster concealed in his right glove, and he could use it to shoot him right through the head before he even knew what had happened. But... What if he missed? What if he wasn't fast enough? He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he were responsible for Krystal's death. But he had to do something! His mission was to eliminate Kune and his band of rebels, and all he had to do now was finish the job. But Krystal... The image of her dying in the arms of that blasted raccoon kept playing over and over inside Fox's head; he couldn't think of anything else.

_C'mon, Fox! _he screamed in his mind, _You have to put personal feelings to the side and complete your mission! Why can't you do that? _The entire situation was hopeless until he could make himself do something, but he just couldn't do it. Krystal meant so much to him...

The sound of a laser blaster ended the prolonged silence. Instantly thereafter, Kune lifelessly fell forward, his eyes white and dead before he even landed. Krystal, still in danger of being decapitated by the beam saber in his inert hand, threw his arm away from her and kicked back, letting his unanimated body hit the ground without her. The hole in his head could barely be seen in the pitch black of the night. The Renegades' leader's sudden death utterly surprised Krystal- as well as Fox.

"You two alright?" a familiar voice called out to them. Out from the brush came a suited blue bird with a blaster in hand and night-vision goggles lying snuggly atop his large, golden beak.

"Oh, thank goodness you came!" Krystal exclaimed, her accent adding to the eminence of her feminine voice. But rather than lash out in a hug for Falco for saving her life, she turned back to Fox, her tone full of concern. "Fox, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said, his voice cold and distant. Krystal could sense the agony inside him, but she couldn't tell what it was for. She was safe and their mission was accomplished, so what could be wrong?

"Fox? Fox, are you sure-"

"I said I'm fine!" he growled. His outburst caught both of his teammates off guard, and they each gawked at him, baffled. Without explaining himself, Fox sighed and began pressing some switches on the control pad on his right forearm. "Let's get out of here..."

As his Arwing came out from its concealed location and began hovering towards them, Krystal's cerulean eyes cried out for Fox. As his ship landed and he placed his blaster back in his holster, he paid no attention to her, shattering her heart like fragile glass. What had she done? Was he upset because she had let herself get captured? Was he mad at himself for not saving her? She felt his mind losing itself in distress, but she just couldn't figure out what it was coming from.

"Hey, missy," Falco huffed from behind her, "don't just stand there. We need to get going too."

-----

Darkness had overcome the indigo-furred vixen like the impending storm looming over her heart. What had she done wrong? What did she do to upset him? It had been three days now, and that fox had barely said a word to her, let alone anyone else. She hated being so cowardly about the situation- it was hardly her normal character- but something about the whole situation sent warning signals screaming through her conscience. It had only been two years since their encounter on Sauria, but during that time she had never once felt distant from Fox; it was almost as if they were somehow bonded from the moment they locked eyes. Although, of course, Fox had never taken the initiative to confirm their romantic relationship, but she knew it was there. She had decided to wait for him, to wait for her Fox to at last open up and display his true self, rather than the Star Fox commander veneer he never let down... But after two long years, he never had. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe there really weren't any feelings there. Maybe... Maybe he was upset with her because she couldn't get that. Maybe...

Her eyes were adapted to the darkness now; she could make out her shadowed knees huddled just beneath her muzzle by folded arms. She was sitting on her unmade bed, the plain, white sheets encircling her like clouds before a hurricane. The blue vixen let out an emotional sigh and began to move her limbs, feeling their shouts of resistance resulting from the long time she had sat there thinking. She stretched her arms high above her head, loving the feel of her extended back, but hating the sudden shot of pain stemming from her left arm. She immediately let her arms fall back down, her right paw clutching the wound and feeling a trace of blood soaking her bandage. _Shoot, I broke a stitch... _she thought. She then gingerly hopped off of her bed, landing on her feet and wrapping herself in a snug, black bathrobe. She loved its warmth and the way it clung around her slender form- she was sure the men on the plane loved it just as much. She inwardly rolled her eyes as she tied the belt of the garment and headed towards the door at the front of the room. Just before she pressed the 'open' switch, however, she stopped and turned her head to give her window one final look, taking in the beauty of the mass of brilliant stars that always seemed to paint space's bleakness with aspiration. She had always looked to them for answers, for hope... But now, for the first time since the destruction of her planet, she felt... starless. With another internal sigh, the unusually dismal vixen pressed the unlock switch, allowing her door to slide open and welcome the light of the hallway to penetrate her shadowy dorm. With squinted eyes she sauntered out, wrapping herself in her own arms as she began the walk towards the first aid station, conveniently located on the opposite side of the ship.

-----

The room was silent. Cold. Dead. Silent. Nothing but the twitching and beeping of nearby electronics could be heard, and neither pair of ears bothered to catch even those secluded sounds. It was as if they were conducting a duel of silence, each player intently listening for the sound of the other's voice so that they would be proclaimed the winner. In a sense, it was just that, as both men were patiently waiting for the other to falter and give in, giving him the advantage in the approaching argument. Each combatant was well equipped with both willpower and sheer stubbornness, but it had already been a good half hour since they had sat down next to each other, and the strain of the silence was beginning to affect them.

"So what the hell's wrong with you?" Game over. Winner: Fox McCloud.

"Nothing," was the fox's placid response.

"Bull." Just as blatant was Falco's reply, showing that he wasn't about to just let this fight go away. He sat upright in his navy, cushioned chair with his equally blue wings crossed and his eyes narrowed, shooting flames of intimidation towards his old friend. Fox didn't even glance in return.

"Yeah, it is bull. But right now, I just don't wanna talk about it." Fox's tone was serious, unlike practically any other time he ever spoke. This was a new Fox, one that had taken a turn for the worse.

"Whether you want to or not, you're gonna talk," Falco demanded. Receiving still not so much as a glimpse from Fox, he slowly closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration. Why had the once overly cocky Fox McCloud suddenly decided to become so depressed? He was sure it was about Krystal in some way, but he couldn't seem to put the rest of the puzzle together. Krystal had been part of the team for over a year, and she had been in danger before, but Fox had never pulled this disgruntled stunt before. On the contrary, he'd usually bathe her with concern, never letting her leave his sight until well after she had already healed. It was obvious to just about everyone in the Lylat System that they had feelings for each other, but for some unknown reason Fox just refused to admit it. _Two years... Damn, that's a long time for a girl to wait, _Falco thought to himself. He had only wished some girl was that crazy for him. How Fox could possibly let something like this slip away, he had no idea. "Fox," he grunted, reopening his eyes and reigniting the fire within them, "tell me what's up with you before I beat it out of ya."

"Heh," Fox chuckled, finally displaying a small grin that almost seemed to be a part of the past. "That's just like you, Falco, always jumping into a fight whether you need to or not."

Falco returned the titter, then said, "When it involves the leader of Star Fox and a brokenhearted girl that's crazy about him, I think I have enough reason to pick a fight."

Fox's ephemeral grin quickly faded back into the past at the comment. "What do you know..."

"I know a hell of a lot more than you give me credit for, Fox." Fox finally looked over at his colleague, knowing exactly what he was getting at. Despite both of them already knowing the story well, Falco continued, "Katt Monroe... God, she was beautiful." His tone had in seconds drastically changed from overly serious to abnormally dreamy, as if he were lost in a surfeit of wonderful memories. "She was the only one I ever... _loved. _Yeah, those were good times... But I let her slip away, let my arrogance get to me and destroy the one thing I loved most... love itself." His wistful state went as quickly as it had come, the old overbearing Falco quickly taking its place. He continued, "Now you've got the same chance to make or break the rest of your life. You've got a choice to make, and you're running out of time to make it."

"And what's that choice?" Fox asked with more than a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Falco hesitated for a moment as he searched for the right words to use. He wasn't used to talking about this emotional stuff, so he had to make sure everything he said stuck. "Krystal... or your job."

Fox nearly broke out into laughter, but quickly silenced himself as if he was determined to keep his despondent attitude till the day he died. "You think that I'm avoiding Krystal 'cause she's a distraction to my _job?_" He watched as Falco's expression rapidly shifted from omniscient to bewildered. "It's not that at all... She's more important than some mission... _Way _more important. It's just..."

"Just...?"

Fox locked eyes with the navy-feathered bird for a moment, then looked away. He wasn't sure why he felt like he had to seclude himself so much, but he couldn't just come out and tell Falco what was bothering him. The only person who should hear that... was Krystal. "It's just that I've got a lot of crap running through my head right now and I'm trying to sort through it before I do anything stupid. That's all. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Fox slowly pushed himself up from his spot on his chair, his tail whipping around behind him as he made his way towards the exit at the back of the room. He wasn't going to leave without some protest from Falco, however.

"So that's what you're gonna do? That's all the great Fox McCloud, _savior of the universe_, is capable of, sitting on his ass and waiting for the _girl _to do his job? Sheesh, you really haven't grown up yet have you?" Fox didn't stop or even hesitate. He continued walking, his hand finding its way to the 'open' switch at the side of the doorway. "Fine. Run away. Run away from all your problems. That just means she'll run away from you."

Fox stopped dead in his tracks as if paralyzed, his friend's last few words piercing into him like a knife and turning harshly. Fox wanted to protest; he wanted to defend himself and tell his teammate off, but he couldn't find any words. That damn bird was right. He was dead right. Nothing Fox could say would outmatch him, and any syllable of useless defense would only aggravate his loss. Finally, he flipped the opening switch, let the mechanical door slide up into the ceiling, and then walked out, letting the door slide back behind him and making a nice barrier between him and his oppressor for now. Once again, silence surrounded him as the echoes of his own footsteps were all that invaded his ears, and the resonance of Krystal's face was all that haunted his imagination. He knew what he had to do, and as much as he hated to admit it, Falco was right- he had to do it now.

-----

"Stretching, eh?" Slippy croaked as he began to cut through the blue mammal's stitches to be replaced.

"Yes," was her direct reply. "I wasn't doing anything to aggravate it if that's what you were getting at."

"Oh, I wasn't saying that," Slippy muttered as he continued removing the old stitches. As little as he knew about women, there was one piece of knowledge that every man was born knowing: don't aggravate an upset female. Krystal, as the entire ship knew by now, was upset, as was Fox. What went wrong between them no one had a clue, but it was beginning to affect the mood of everyone onboard. Slippy wondered if he should bring it up, as it was pretty much the only topic he could think of while they sat in total silence. He decided to ease into it with a blatant observation. "Hey, Krystal, you seem pretty down lately..."

"Oh, sorry," she said, returning from her daze, "I've just been thinking a lot, that's all." To prove her point of not being depressed, she finished with a heart-melting smile for her slimy, green doctor. He returned the grin.

"'Bout what?" Slippy was now replacing the wire to keep her wound sealed.

"About..." Krystal once again seemed to lose herself in thought, practically becoming oblivious to their current conversation. Slippy stopped for a moment to wait for her reply, but received none.

"...About Fox?" The sound of his name kicked the normal Krystal back into gears as her eyes returned to their beautiful sober state and locked gazes with Slippy's. She then turned her vision back towards her knees hanging over the edge of her seat and gave a small nod in confirmation. Now that that was settled, Slippy could try to dive a little deeper. "Well, I dunno what's going on between you two, but I'm sure it'll work out. You two go great together."

"You think so?" Krystal's eyes seemed to instantly regain their sparkle that they were known for at Slippy's words.

"Well, yeah," he stammered, "Who wouldn't? It's obvious he's crazy about you, he just has a rough time showing it, ya know? Whatever this dilemma is, I'm positive you'll get through it together."

"Thanks, Slippy. You're a good friend." Another gratifying smile; Slippy could never get enough of those. _What is going on in your head, Fox? She's crazy about you! What's holding you back?_

"There," Slippy said with a pat on the vixen's shoulder, "all set." Much to the toad's surprise, he instantly felt the warm, wooly embrace of a fox's arms, followed by a very flirtatious kiss on the cheek. He fought every hormone in his body to keep his face from turning bright red.

"Thank you so much, Slippy," Krystal said as she broke away from him, beaming. "But I've got a question..."

"Shoot."

"Do you think I should go up to Fox and ask about the problem directly, or wait for him to come to me?"

Slippy scratched his head in thought, sliding his stubby green hand underneath his ball cap. "Well... What do _you _think you should do?"

"Well, of course I want to talk to him right away-"

"Then go for it!" Slippy exclaimed. "Don't wait around for him, do what you think is right."

"Alright, I will. Thanks again, Slippy." She gave the gifted young toad one final smile of gratitude then headed towards the exit, grabbing her robe off the table as she went. _Okay, it's time to get over this. Slippy's right; whatever's wrong with Fox is only temporary. We'll be alright. I just need to talk to him... _


	2. Broken Ties by Shattered Hearts

**Disclaimer: **Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

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**The Shards of a Broken Krystal – **by Staindgrey

**Chapter II – Broken Ties by Shattered Hearts**

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_Fox... _Krystal's mind began to wander as she lost track of where her body itself was wondering. Her eyes were focused on nothing but the things she imagined- most of which in some way involved Fox taking her in his arms and telling her everything was okay. But even her resolute mind couldn't shake the image of the polar opposite- Fox telling her to go away, that he didn't need her anymore, that she was a nuisance and that she should leave. Her prodigious mind could paint the picture perfectly... his normally thoughtful, bright green eyes glaring at her with nothing but disgust and malice, his lips curling into a spiteful snarl with his sharp, white teeth fully exposed as if to bite right through her heart... The gruesome image played itself over and over in her thoughts, and hard as she tried to disregard them, she couldn't help but wonder... were her telekinetic powers showing her something?

Her imagination portrayed Fox down to every chiseled detail as if he were standing before her. His russet fur was soft and velvety with a small breeze blowing through it like wind through the grass of an open field. His large ears pointed towards the sky, though now she imagined them they way they always lowered at the sight of her. His eyes were like small emeralds in a sea of white, and in her mind's eye, they now beheld her with as much love and affection as they could possibly display. She felt his strong, jacketed arms wrap snugly around her smaller form, pulling her closer as if he would never let go. She felt his burly chest as she rested her head against it, feeling the faint beat of his heart with every passing second. His breath smelled of warm root beer as it lightly brushed against the top of her head and ruffled her fur with a small tickle. She giggled flirtatiously within his grasp, snuggling closer and resting her head beneath his chin with a content sigh. Her entire world stopped while her heart raced within her chest. He was here, he was really taking her in his arms and... _loving her. _The inner Krystal leaped and cried out with tears of joy soaking her indigo fur. Now, after all this time of waiting, he was here... The wait had been worth it after all, worth all the lonely nights and upsetting days... This was what it was like to finally be loved...

Reality came back and smacked Krystal in the face with the surprise and ferocity of a sucker punch as her sensitive ears caught the sound of a nearby door unlocking and sliding open. She blinked as her vision came back from its blurry focus, taking in her surroundings and reminding her that she had been walking for quite a ways without realizing it. Her attention was quickly turned towards the sound she'd just heard, however, and her eyes beheld what she had just envisioned- her tan and white hero marching through the doorway as if on cue. Her heart skipped a beat as a smile crept across the vixen's lips with the speed of a launching Arwing. _Fox..._

-----

"What am I going to do?" Fox muttered to himself as he strolled through the halls of the newly remade Great Fox. Since the former version of the Great Fox had been destroyed by the Aparoids, the majority of their funds had to be put into the rebuilding of it, along with repairs to their Arwings. Since then, money had been scarce with the peaceful times, and even the brand new spaceship was beginning to show more age than it should. Fox examined the walls of the corridor only for a brief moment before his mind reverted back to the task at hand: what to do about Krystal? He cared for her a lot; he couldn't hide from that fact. But was it possible to care about her too much...? He couldn't let feelings for her ever get in the way of a mission, and, even worse, he had no idea how he could live knowing that she had been injured or killed during one of _his _missions. Could it be possible to let her stay onboard but keep her out of an Arwing? No, Fox knew better. No matter what his mission was, she would be determined to accompany him, even if it required sneaking out through an escape pod. Falco was right; he had to make a choice. Should he let her stay on the team and suffer the consequences later or make her leave for her own sake?

His mind played out every scenario, starting with the worst possible, of course. If he told her to leave, she could go into one of those girl-fits, crying and yelling and throwing a tantrum... Or, even worse in his mind, she could give him the silent 'how could you do this to me...?' stare and slowly walk away, urging him to change his mind and plaguing his heart with that last image of her forever. But, if he gave in and let her stay... what would happen? She could be seriously injured, or even killed. He himself might be the deciding factor between her life and death, just like he was just three days ago...

His face scrunched into angry wrinkles as the recent event replayed in his head. The sight of Krystal, helpless, her eyes pleading for her hero to come and rescue her... yet he was unable to. He knew he couldn't do a thing to save her; he wasn't a god. He was mortal just like she was, just like the filthy thief that held her life in his hands. He could make a mistake, he could miss and be the cause for her death... Would he even be able to make himself live on with that knowledge? The image of the helpless, fear-stricken face of Krystal was burned into his memory, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't shake it. He knew what he had to do, though he absolutely hated to do it. She meant a lot to him, a whole lot, and he didn't want her to ever leave. Did he love her? He wasn't entirely sure himself, but he knew for certain that he had never before in his life cared for someone as much as he did for Krystal. Every single time he saw her graceful, dainty form, it was just like the first- his heart leaped, skipped a beat, then continued at a much faster pace than before. His ears would heighten in surprise at just how striking the vixen was and then lower in affection, though he would hardly ever notice it himself. Her smile would cause his heart to melt as her eyes sparkled like two sapphire suns amidst a bright, white sky... Everything about her was perfect in Fox's eyes, and he didn't want that image of her to ever change. Maybe it was best that he let her go now, before something happened to her to change that memory... or even before something happened to him. He never wanted her to bear his death just as he never wanted to bear hers. This was the only way... _Pick your poison, Fox, _he thought to himself, _you gotta do this._

At the end of the forlorn hallway was another door which Fox unconsciously opened and continued through. His thoughts paid no attention to his surroundings as they focused on the imaginary Krystal standing before him. "_Fox..._" Her voice sounded so real, so incredibly real...

"Fox! Are you alright?"

Fox snapped to attention, his eyes taking a double take as he saw a running Krystal rapidly approaching him. _When I said I had to do it now, I didn't mean 'now' now... _Fox heaved an inward sigh as he forced a smile despite the war his emotions were waging inside him. "Yeah, sorry, must not have heard you." Krystal's concerned expression was quickly replaced with that of adoration as she sauntered towards him. _She's so beautiful when she looks like that... _Fox thought.

_No! _rationality yelled back. _You can't fall for her now; you've got to tell her the bad news now before it gets even harder! _Fox took rationality's side as his smile faded into a grimace. "Krystal, I need to talk to you."

Those words caused Krystal's smile to do the same as all her happy thoughts from before fled from her mind. "Y-Yes, what about?" she stammered.

"It's about... um..." Fox never did have a way with words around her, and now proved to be his most difficult try. "Well, I, uh... You see, Krystal..."

"Fox," she interrupted, taking his gloved paw in her much smaller one, "it's alright, you can tell me. What is it?"

_Beep! Beep! _The annoying beep of Fox's comm. link couldn't have been anymore convenient. He took his paw gently from Krystal's and reached for the tiny projector, held it out and pressed a button, causing a hologram of Peppy's fifty year-old head to pop out of it. His gray fur was matted with age from his drooping ears to his chin. Around his exposed buckteeth were strands of white hair that formed a ragged goatee. His eyes were old and tired; his glasses looked like they were about to fall right off his tiny pink nose.

"Fox, there's a transmission from General Pepper. Come to the briefing room right away."

Fox gave one small glance to Krystal, who was still waiting with anticipation for his answer, then looked back at the image of Peppy. "Alright," he answered in militaristic fashion. "Krystal's here, too. Do you need her?"

"Yes, it involves the whole Star Fox team. Er, sorry if I was interrupting something..."

"Nothing at all," Fox replied, this time refusing to look over to the blue vixen. "We're on our way."

-----

The quiet hum of the hologram projector was all that hindered the awkward silence filling the briefing room. Fox and Krystal sat in their normal seats next to one another, but they were sitting on opposite edges as if the other had some sort of disease. Falco was relaxing on the sofa with his feathered arms crossed behind his head and his feet kicked up onto the arm of the couch, twiddling back and forth in impatience. Peppy decided to stand on the opposite side of the projector while glancing at his watch every few seconds and following each time with a small sigh or cough. The image of General Pepper hovered atop the silver platform; even his aging features showed quite a bit of irritation. He was quite an old hound dog, the rolls of skin beneath his chin hanging just as low as his matted ears did. His standard bloodhound creases seemed even more antique now at his age; it was only a matter of time before he decided to retire. After seeing two great threats from Andross along with being infected by an Aparoid himself, he'd seen about all a single general could before he called it quits. The projector's speakers gave a loud "Ah-hem!" as the General cleared his throat to try and fill the silence best he could.

Just then, the welcomed sound of an opening door rang in everyone's ears as their eyes darted toward its source: Slippy hurrying through the now open doorway, beads of frog slime and sweat covering his brow and large breaths heaving in and out of his even bigger mouth. It was obvious he had just run the length of the ship, but a rather lengthy piece of toilet paper indicated a pit stop somewhere along the way.

"Hey Slip," Falco said, already in the process of rolling his eyes, "I see you let your buddy there tag along."

"Huh?" Slippy's expression showed nothing but a question as he tried to comprehend what Falco meant. Krystal was giggling beneath her paw, Fox along with her, and Peppy was shaking his head in embarrassment. Slippy looked at every one of them for an answer, but none was received. Finally, Falco intervened.

"There's toilet paper on your shoe." Short, plain and simple- just enough to flush Slippy's green face with a deep shade of crimson. His oversized eyes quickly found the source of the problem as one slick, green hand snatched the strangling white ribbon and threw it back behind him. Slippy never was the most coordinated one of the group- mishaps like this came all too often- but he nevertheless felt a looming sense of shame to add to his tardiness.

"Sit down," Peppy instructed, trying to resolve the situation with haste. Slippy instantly complied, finding his seat on the right side of Fox and plopping into it, all the while his head still looking like a huge cherry. "Alright, everyone's here and accounted for, General." Peppy finished.

"Good." The General's voice sounded rough and faint, not at all like the deep, powerful tone the team was used to. "Star Fox... I've brought you all together today to congratulate you on all of your previous missions. You've kept Corneria, as well as the entire Lylat System, safe from the evils of outer space, and I speak for all of Corneria when I say that you have our gratitude."

"Well, that's nice," Falco replied mockingly, "but I'm sure you didn't just bring us here to give us a big pat on the back."

"Falco!" Peppy hissed. The blue falcon simply shrugged the comment away, still relaxing nonchalantly in his sofa, his red-feathered eyes barely open.

"Ahem," Pepper once again cleared his throat, though he did nothing in retaliation to Falco's insubordination. Instead, he continued, "True. But I am not giving you a mission. Rather..." He hesitated for a moment, as if he was trying to find the right way to word it- or muster up the courage. "...I'd like to announce my retirement from Supreme General of the Cornerian Army."

"What?" a simultaneous shout came from everyone but Falco; he remained just the same.

"Yes, it is now time for me to step down. I'm far too old to command an army anymore. Besides, I've done my duty. It's time to take a rest."

"But General," Fox stood as he began to speak, "who's gonna replace you?" The same question was running through the minds of everyone else in the room; their leader merely vocalized it. General Pepper had always given them just about every privilege possible during his time as commander, not to mention the large reward bonuses they could talk him into. He had become their ally, their friend, and there was no telling what his substitute would be like.

"Relax, Fox. I've got a perfect replacement set up. Peppy?"

Peppy's rabbit ears stood straight up at the sound of his name. "Yes, General?"

"Peppy Hare," he started in his deep, militaristic voice, "I would like to extend you the offer of becoming the new Supreme General of the Cornerian Army."

"M-Me?" Peppy adjusted his glasses as both anxiousness and perplexity overcame his elder body. "But General, I'm not _that _much younger than you are, and I'm obligated to Star Fox! I can't leave my friends behind-"

"You have every requisite a general could need: flight experience, familiarity with the battlefield- lots of it- and you're a level-headed commander, as you've shown in your years with Star Fox. You're the only one for my job. I'm trusting _you_ with the safety of the entire Lylat System, no one else." The hound paused for a moment, then said in a hushed, almost urgent tone, "You're the only one I can rely on, Peppy..."

"General..." Peppy looked around at his colleagues to try and get a feel for their reaction. Not a whole lot of shock was displayed in their expressions; it was more eagerness for his answer. Peppy looked back at the hologram of the old hound dog, his feeble eyes once again showing the determination of a true soldier. "General Pepper... I accept."

"Good." Pepper's excess of wrinkles folded over one another as they formed a cheerful smile, a spectacle hardly anyone got the chance to witness. "I can rest easy knowing you will be my successor. Come to Corneria's capital tomorrow at fourteen-hundred hours. You will be sworn in and briefed on your duties at that time."

"Sir!" Peppy was bottling his excitement rather well. Sure, he had always been a part of the Star Fox team, and that had been his joy for the past fifteen or so years of his life. But to be the supreme commander of an entire army... Just being worthy enough to be given the title was mind-boggling! Fox was much more mature now; he didn't need him as a mentor anymore. He was needed on Corneria. Team Star Fox would be fine without his ancient body onboard. He sure would miss being with them, though...

"Now, there was something else I needed to inform you of... Slippy?"

"Yes, General?" Slippy hopped out of his chair to attention, unsure of what he was about to be told. Would he be promoted too...?

"I'm sorry, but your father, Beltino Toad, has been taken ill in the past week. We're unsure of what the cause is, and he asks that you come visit him while he is recuperating."

"What! Dad's sick?"

"Yes. We have our top doctors working on him at this very moment, but we're still lost as to what the virus is. You can come with Peppy; the hospital he's being kept in is only minutes away from the army's headquarters."

"Rob," Fox called into his communicator, wasting no time.

"Yes?" was the monotone reply from the other end.

"Set a coarse for Corneria. How long will it take us to get there?"

"Approximately... nine hours and twenty-eight minutes."

"Alright. Thanks Rob." The fox turned off his communicator and looked up at the General's holographic image, saying calmly, "We'll be there as soon as possible, General."

"Make sure Pop's okay!" Slippy pleaded. "He's gonna be okay!"

-----

Fox lost himself in his thoughts as he watched the mass of stars fly past. He sat in a small recliner, hardly relaxed at all as his mind continued to torture itself with every possible bad scenario of what was to come. Now, not only did he have the Krystal situation to deal with, but also the ordeal of Peppy and possibly Slippy leaving the team. Sure, Peppy was no longer a pilot, but he was a mentor and a huge moral boost for the team in any situation, and Fox knew he couldn't be replaced. Slippy's father was in critical condition with an unknown disease, and there was no telling how long Slippy would be out because of that. That meant their chief repair man would be gone, making repairing the Great Fox with limited funds all the more difficult. Fox couldn't keep up with all the problems inside his head, but as hard as he tried to relax and blow them all out like a flickering candle, he just couldn't do it; his problems were now a bonfire that he just couldn't extinguish. What else could go wrong?

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" an accented, feminine voice said softly behind him. Fox whirled around to see the normally gratifying image of Krystal sauntering towards him, her hips swaying in a seductive motion to match her flirtatious smile and alluring gaze. Fox rubbed the back of his head nervously, trying to find a good way to answer.

_Right on cue... This is gonna be tough... _"Yeah, it is," he answered, returning his attention to the speckled portrait of black outside. Krystal found a seat next to him, also taking in the gorgeous picture painted in the window.

Silence filled the room as each of its occupants awaited the other for the first strike. They both knew what needed to be said, but neither of them wanted to face it. Instead, they stared into the blank darkness of outer space, waiting for an answer.

Then Fox felt the unexpected. Rather than hear a tender voice bring up the subject of their unfinished conversation, he felt an incredibly warm paw wrap itself in his, interlacing their fingers with gentle force. His eyes grew while his pupils shrank, each of them looking first at his now enclosed hand and then at the large, striking orbs staring directly at him. The vixen's eyes wrapped Fox in an aura of allurement, and it was obviously getting to him, shown by his newborn anxiety and wandering eyes.

_Take your hand away! Pull it away! _rationality screamed.

_No, it feels so good... Just a little bit longer... _his conscience retorted.

Fox was so lost in the fight against himself that he didn't even notice that Krystal's face was inching nearer. Finally, rationality won the battle as Fox snapped back to his senses, pulling his paw back and his body away from Krystal's. Krystal was taken aback to say the least; it seemed as though her heart had just stopped inside her chest, or even shattered like fragile glass. Fox hurried to find the right words to say, but that "how could you do this to me...?" stare wouldn't let his mind think straight.

"I'm sorry..." the vixen whimpered in defeat. Her eyes averted Fox's own, not wanting to see his aghast expression any longer.

"No, no... Don't worry about it..." He tried his best to console her, but he already knew comfort wouldn't help much with what he was about to force himself to say. _It's for the best, _rationality repeated. _It's for the best... _"Krystal, this is what I was meaning to talk to you about earlier... You see-"

"Am I not appealing to you anymore?" she interrupted. Her eyes were pleading for an answer, good or bad, anything but another empty silence.

_Oh, boy... This'll be harder than I thought... _"No, it's not that. I mean, you're... You're beautiful! But... That's just it. Someone like you shouldn't be here doing mercenary work. You're meant for a whole lot more than working as an Arwing pilot-"

"But I enjoy it! I really do! I love being here with you, with all of you. You, Slippy, Peppy, Falco... You're like the family I never had..." She was searching for answers inside herself, as Fox could easily tell, but none surfaced.

"Well, we're still not _really _your family... I mean, I'm sure yours is still out there somewhere... But, what I meant was that you risk your life every second you're aboard this ship. We could be attacked anytime, anywhere and by anyone. Every mission we go on, I fear for your safety. There's no use in someone like you risking your life so much."

"But I risk it to be at your side!" she shot, "I know very well what dangers I face, but I do it anyway, because this is where I want to be. This is where I _belong._" Her tone switched from pleading to authoritative in an instant. "I'm not leaving."

"Krystal, when we went down to Corneria the other day... When that bastard had you against him and was merely moments away from killing you... I was even more helpless than you were," he reminisced, sorrow overcoming him. "There you were, your life in someone else's hands, and I was merely a spectator. I couldn't do anything but drop my weapon and hope for a miracle."

"And that miracle came! Falco saved me, so what's the problem-"

"The problem is what if it happens again? What if we go on another mission and you get killed right before my eyes? How could I live on knowing that I couldn't save you, that you died because of me?" Krystal tried again to interject, but Fox forcefully continued, letting it all spill out, "Yeah, we were lucky Falco came in for back up. But if he wasn't there, I couldn't save you. You'd be dead, and I probably would be too. Even if I made it out alive, I'd be dead from then on... I... I care for you a lot, Krystal, more than I ever have for anyone else, and I don't want you to get trapped inside the life _I_ chose. I want you to live a happy life without risking it day in and day out. If you being a part of my life means you risking death everyday to do so, then..." He knew what he had to say, but he didn't want to say it. _Do it! _rationality commanded, _Do it now!_

"...then I don't want you to be a part of my life."

Right at that moment, Fox could swear he heard the sound of her heart shattering inside her chest; maybe he heard his own. Tears formed at the corners of her beautiful sapphire eyes and quickly changed into streams running through her smooth, blue fur. As Fox watched the poignant waterfalls cascade down her perfect face, he found himself wanting more than anything to reach out and embrace her, to hold her close and tell her that everything was okay. He wanted to take back every word he had just said and throw them out into the depths of space, but the damage had already been done. He said it, the unforgivable phrase.

"_Fine. Run away. Run away from all your problems. That just means she'll run away from you." _Falco's words echoed inside Fox's head like crashing thunder as Krystal's heartthrob stare continued to pierce him. What had he done? He tried to reach out for the indigo vixen but she instantly withdrew, then stood and slowly backed away from his outstretched arms. Fox continued reaching, wanting to say something, anything that could mend the hurt that both of them were feeling... But nothing came. Krystal finally shielded her overflowing eyes and ran out of the room, not once looking back at Fox.

"_Run away... That just means she'll run away from you..."_

-----


	3. Departure

**Disclaimer: **Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

**-----**

**The Shards of a Broken Krystal – **by Staindgrey

**Chapter III – Departure**

**-----**

The Cornerian Conference Dome was filled to the brim with characters of all races from the tiny miniature dachshunds to the overwhelming polar bears taking up two seats each and fanning themselves tremendously to keep cool beneath their engulfing white coats. They were chatting amongst themselves, their many small whispers combining into a roar that echoed off the numerous walls of the arena as they waited with anticipation for General Pepper to speak. Pepper was the only general many in the audience had grown up with, and, consequently, he had gained the respect of most everyone in the Lylat System. He was a strong political figure- stronger than even Corneria's Head Ambassador, their top government official. In Pepper's time as Supreme General of the Cornerian Army, he had evolved the military role into practically that of leader of the Lylat System as far as influence went, and it frightened the System's citizens to think of who would replace him when he finally decided to step down. If that person decided to abuse his power... The thought was mind-boggling.

"Ugh," Falco grunted, once again looking at his watch in obvious irritation. "When is this thing supposed to get started? I'm practically molting over here."

"Just wait it out, Falco, it shouldn't be too much longer," Fox coolly replied. He sounded like a parent calming down their aggravated child. Falco answered with a huff and a cock of his head, signaling, 'This conversation is over.' Fox was alright with that; he had other things on his mind as it was. On either side of him and Falco were empty seats- probably the only ones in the house- and they belonged to their absent teammates. Slippy had been missing ever since they landed, choosing to go straight to his dad's side and miss Peppy's inauguration. Fox didn't blame him; he knew what it was like to be missing a father and, at times, it was unbearable. If _his_ father suddenly showed up, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd be at his side, regardless of where he was.

"Say, where's she?" Falco pointed out, nodding his head towards the empty seat at Fox's side. Fox looked at the seat for a moment then back at Falco, gloom overtaking his emerald eyes in an instant. "Oh," was Falco's only reply before he reverted his attention back towards the stage at the front of the arena. Bad question, but it had to be asked.

Suddenly, a hush befell the gathered crowd as a decorated bloodhound marched up to the podium in militaristic style, his crimson and gold attire showing lavishly under the limelight. He coughed into the microphone just in front of his lips, hushing the few small murmurs still left in the mass before him. With the newfound silence, he began his speech.

"Good evening, citizens and officials of Corneria. I thank you all for attending this conference tonight. As you know..."

"This is gonna be long," Falco huffed. Fox merely glanced at him, but tried not to show him attention. It was true; Pepper's speeches were known for being strenuously long and dragged out, but they weren't here for Pepper, they were here for Peppy. Falco knew that; at least, Fox thought he knew that. "I'm outta here."

"What?" Fox questioned as he turned towards his companion, already getting up from his seat. "You can't just leave-"

"I can, and I will," Falco persisted. Fox began choosing in his mind whether to try and force him to stay through scolding or ask where he was going; in the time it took to decide between the two, Falco was already halfway down the row, so he said nothing. "'Scuse me... Pardon me... Yo, move your fat legs, pudgy!" could be heard as he made his way out. Fox hid his face in his paw as he waited for Falco to finally get out, leaving him alone with three empty seats surrounding him. Fox heaved a lonely sigh as he focused his interest back on the General, still talking a storm and losing more attention spans by the moment. _It's gonna be a long night, _Fox thought. Within seconds, his mind was once again set on the image of that beautiful blue vixen, staring at him with the stare of a broken heart...

-----

Krystal took one last look at her Star Fox uniform as it lay wrinkled up and motionless on her unmade bed. She now wore her normal attire from before: a two-piece made of low-karat gold with a faded russet garment hanging between her thighs on both sides of the lower piece. The light blue fur of her chest and stomach were now exposed, along with her slender, navy legs and arms. On her right arm and hip, she had the white glyph marks of her people; they had been there since her birth, though she never learned what they meant. Warriors' shin and forearm guards made of bronze could be found on her as well; she was well-adapted to fighting in primitive areas like Sauria. That was the only place for her now, the home she had grown up on for so many years of her life. It was time for her to return there, to leave her new life behind and go back...

Her eyes displayed every bit of sadness they could, but it still couldn't match the agony found within her. Here, she had finally found a place she could believe she belonged, a place she could live, a place she could settle in and grow in and, eventually, die in. She had found love here of all places, and she had grown more attached to it in two short years than she had ever grown attached to Sauria throughout her entire adolescent life. Sauria was a beautiful planet with many creatures and tribes that she befriended, but... she no longer viewed it as her home anymore. This was her home, here on the Great Fox, with... Fox...

Tears tried to form again in her eyes but she didn't allow them to do so. She forced them back; after all, there was no room for tears on the unsympathetic grounds of Dinosaur Planet. If she went back there the way she was now- forlorn, dejected, and heartbroken- she'd be devoured by a Red Eye in the blink of an eye. She had to go back with the same diligence she had before, and the will to live for herself, not for someone else.

While her head tried to tame her rabid emotions, she finished packing her small knapsack with two changes of clothes, a canteen, and her unextended Cerinian staff. This staff was the only thing she had left from her lost home world, and it had saved her life more times than she could remember. Placing the bag lightly over her shoulders, she began walking towards the room's exit, stopping for a moment to take one final look at her previous life. Her bed, her closet, her bathroom, her mirror, her nightstand... The thing that struck her most was the small picture of her and Fox, his arm around her and her head leaning back on his shoulder, eyes half open, but full of love for the Lylatian fox holding her. Behind them was the striking scene of a falling sun reflecting on Aquas's oceanic surface with a robe of red and pink clouds shrouding it. That was their first 'date' she supposed, before she was officially inducted into the Star Fox team. He was so sweet then, and so charming... She couldn't believe how things had so suddenly changed. "Fox," she muttered half to herself, half to the distant fox she so longed for, "I'll miss you... Will you miss me?" She stayed in her mesmerized position for more than a few moments as if waiting for an answer, but none were to come. She could feel the dam she had built begin breaking as tears once again forced their way to the corners of her eyes. With a violent shake of her head, she tore out of her emotional state like prey fighting for its life, then hastily opened the door beside her and walked out, letting it close, for the last time, behind her.

"Going somewhere?" The voice stopped Krystal dead in her tracks, sending a wave of fear through her skin and causing her fur to briefly stand on end. Her ears perked as she finally recognized the voice as that of an arrogant old bird standing behind her. Giving her eyes a precautious wipe, she turned and faced Falco, who was leaning back against the chrome wall right beside the door she'd just come out of. Krystal could almost always sense others' presence when they were close; how could she not have noticed him? She had really lost herself in her emotions a few seconds ago; she couldn't let that happen where she was going.

"Yes, I am," she barked back. "Don't try and stop me."

"Who said anything about stopping you?" His expression remained callous, his eyes closed and his arms folded loosely beneath his chest. The comment caught Krystal off guard, but she remained determined. She could sense that Falco wasn't putting on a show- he really didn't care enough to stop her. She wasn't sure if she should be grateful or feel a strong desire to slap her thought-to-be-friend.

"Well, if you're not here to stop me, then what are you here for?"

"To say goodbye, of course," Falco said with a flare in his voice and a small smirk creeping along the side of his beak. "And to give you some advice."

"Advice," Krystal repeated, her voice sounding more robotic than questioning.

"Yeah. Don't think Fox is some cold-hearted bastard that wants you to leave. He cares for you more than he shows, and it's tearing him up to let you go. When he gets back here and finds out that you're gone, he probably won't talk to anyone for a good week or two- assuming, of course, he has someone to talk to."

"Hm?" Every retortive comment she had been mustering inside her mind had suddenly vanished at his last words. "What do you mean, 'assuming he has someone to talk to'?"

"Well, you'll be gone, Peppy'll be gone; Slippy too, at least for a little while."

"And you?"

"Me too," he said with no trace of emotion in his voice. "I'm going solo again for awhile. Something's come up that I don't want Fox to know about."

"So he'll be... all alone?" Concern flooded Krystal's eyes where her tears had once been. Suddenly her thoughts returned to loving Fox as opposed to loathing him.

"Unless you intend on staying now."

Determined Krystal once again took the place of her troubled variety, her eyes narrowing into a death glare that Falco didn't even bother to look at. "If you're trying to convince me to stay, you're wasting your breath, Falco," she barked. Without waiting for his answer, she turned and continued walking down the corridor, the seductive sway of her hips now replaced with a vigorous stomping motion.

"I knew I couldn't convince you to stay," he said nonchalantly, "just like I couldn't convince Fox to stop and think before he went and ruined his life. All I wanted to tell you was that, though he won't admit it now, he loves you, and when he comes racing back to you to tell you that, don't push him away." Krystal was fully stopped now, standing still as a statue with the expression of disbelief carved into her face. Before she could say or ask anything, she heard the ruffling of Falco's feathered arms as he pushed himself away from the wall he was against and began walking in the opposite direction of where Krystal was facing. "Well, catch ya later, Krystal," he said with a wave behind him, "Hope you and Fox are finally together by the time I get back." After a fraction of eternity in Krystal's bewildered mind, she heard a door unlock, slide open, then drop back into its place, Falco's footsteps now but a memory.

_Falco... _she thought, _how can you know so much? _She grit her teeth and closed her eyes tightly as she tried to shake the conversation out of her head, but it still stuck with her despite her efforts. She could run away from Star Fox, she could run away from all that she had here and every person that she had come in contact with the past two years, but she couldn't run away from the memories, just like she couldn't run away from the memory of her parents. Was she damned to a life of hopelessly running away from everything that mattered to her...?

Finally, she began to move again towards the end of the hallway, not allowing herself to look back. No matter what Falco said, the words Fox gave her were what controlled her actions now... _"I don't want you to be a part of my life." _The words echoed inside her despondent mind like the knell of a funeral bell, rather than the happy ring of wedding chimes that she had imagined so many times before. Finally she exited the hallway and made her way towards the docking bay where her Arwing was set for launch. _Falco, I hope to the gods that you're right... _"Fox..."

-----

The forest was calm, save the rustling of branches as a soft breeze blew past and the constant hum of nighttime insects freely flying about. Fireflies stuck out among the crowd, signaling to one another with small bursts of light and glimmering in the dead of night like shooting stars. The trees of the forest were of hefty size, reaching up a good twenty meters before reaching their peak, some even taller than that. There was a small path of infertile dirt below, but it was less than a meter wide and shrouded by the wild bushes surrounding it. Through the cloak of darkness and its mass of flying bugs pranced a small two-legged reptile happily feasting on the gourmet that surrounded it. Its long, frog-like tongue snatched the airborne pests with ease as it occasionally slowed down for a certain delicacy, but never coming to a complete stop. Its two tiny arms seemed relatively useless as they hung at his chest like two crippled limbs, making the ten pound critter resemble a miniature T-rex. Its snout, however, looked nothing like that of a carnivore, as it was smaller and more adapted for insects, hardly made for chomping on the limb of a larger victim.

"Haa!" The predator was instantly turned to prey as a sharpened piece of wood pierced through its tiny neck, breaking it and causing instant death. The animal's momentum carried it forward still, forcing its legs up off the ground as its head and neck stayed in place where it had been attacked, then the entirety of its body slammed against the ground with a small thud and a cloud of dirt to signify its defeat. The victor grabbed his prize by the stick now jammed into its throat, then grabbed its head and yanked it forcefully off of his weapon, leaving a trail of bodily fluids running down the piece of wood like molasses. He then threw the stick aside and examined his catch, his light blue cybernetic eye gleaming amidst the surrounding darkness like a lighthouse at the edge of a bay. "Hmph," he grunted, "it'll do."

Wolf O'Donnell began marching through the heavy undergrowth back towards his team's camp, hacking at a branch here and there to clear his way. This was his second week on this filthy planet, but he had no other choice of quarters at the moment. Ever since Star Fox had practically demolished his team's base, Star Wolf's reputation in the underground was tarnished and mercenary work became all the scarcer. Unable to keep up with funds for their base, Wolf and his elites, Leon Powalski and Panther Caroso, left the rundown hideout in hopes of finding some sort of available vocation. However, with little luck in their search, the team had to finally settle due to lack of fuel, and here they were, on this prehistoric Dinosaur Planet, becoming dinosaur hunting savages. It was disgraceful, and Wolf was close to just killing the largest Red Eye he could find and calling it a day.

Finally, he had found his way out of the massive wood and into a flat clearing where he could see the beacon of light that was his group's campfire off in the distance. He scanned the darkened area with his cybernetic eye for awaiting predators then continued on toward his destination. He knew they wouldn't be at all satisfied with his catch, but he was growing tired of waiting and stuck with this little pest. If they really wanted a bigger meal, they could go get it themselves.

"Ah," he heard the low purr of Panther as he approached the camp. The light of the fire reflected in the wildcat's golden eyes with an eerie luminosity and danced brightly on his silky, black fur. The chameleon sitting across from him turned to face his leader, a mere grunt escaping his mouth as he did.

"That's all you could get?" his shrill voice shot in a sardonic tone.

Wolf tossed his catch onto the ground between them, letting it lay lifelessly there. "Before you complain, let's see what you caught." Leon glared at the wolf and his overbearing stature before finally looking away. "That's what I thought." Wolf gave another satisfied grunt as he took a seat on the free log on the other side of the small fire, crossing his arms and stating, "You two can have it. I don't have much of an appetite."

Panther looked as if he were about to say something, but his ears twitched and his head suddenly jutted slightly to the side, letting him get a look behind his captain and into the line of trees along the outskirts of the surrounding shade. Wolf heard it too: the faint snap of a branch. Wolf stood, turned immediately and pulled out his blaster, pointing it directly at the hidden figure that his robotic eyepiece kindly pointed out for him. "Show yourself," he growled.

The cloaked figure came out from his hiding spot with his hands up at crown level, signaling his surrender; his gruff, sneering tone signaled otherwise. "I see your skills are as sharp as ever."

"Yeah, thanks for noticing," the team leader shot back. "What do you want?"

The hidden form stopped walking before he came too close to the light of the fire, keeping himself veiled in the dimness of the night. "I heard you were a bit under budget as of late and was wondering if you'd like a job." Wolf couldn't put a finger on it, but he was sure he recognized his voice from somewhere...

"What job?" He continued his interrogation, never once letting his guard down. Though his eye had infrared vision, he still couldn't tell who this guy was or if he had any weapons on him.

"One that I'm sure you'll very much enjoy," the figure said with a spreading grin. "It involves the Star Fox team."

All three mercenaries stiffened into attention at those words. Leon suddenly seemed like he cared while Panther's eyes gleamed with a more terrifying brilliance than before. Wolf's stature remained for the most part unchanged. "Well, I'm sorry, but we're stuck here at the moment with no fuel. Unless Fox comes here, we can't help you." There was a strong sense of arrogance in his tone, which caught both his teammates off guard. They figured he'd jump at a chance to finally finish off that "pup" and his team, but now he seemed too lost in his own pride to accept such a mission.

Before either of them could interject, however, the mysterious newcomer continued, "Don't worry about equipment, gentlemen, I already have that taken care of." He then approached them, causing Wolf to heighten his gun to headshot level and deepen his death glare. The figure spread open his cloak, revealing two sacks strapped neatly on each hip, a small bit of blue luminosity showing through their aged cloth. He then opened the flap of one of them and pulled out a small cerulean orb with sparks of electricity inside, holding it up for all of them to see.

"Full cells?" Leon pointed out in the form of a question. The now visible dog-like snout of the intruder slowly nodded, though the rest of his face was still shielded by his long, black shawl.

"Yes. There's enough here to get you around the system three-fold. This, along with six million in Cornerian currency, will be your payment. The money, however, is only for if you succeed." He then proceeded to put the bright, blue ball back in his pouch, his cocky grin never once leaving his face. Wolf hated that smirk almost as much as he hated this damn planet, but he had no other choice but to accept the guy's offer. He, however, wasn't the one who answered.

"We'll do it," a deep, charismatic growl complied. Both Wolf and Leon looked back at Panther, who was now wielding one of his standard roses against his chest, the vivid, red petals resting nicely beneath his furry chin. "But, must we kill them or merely defeat them?" Wolf and Leon both rolled their eyes at the comment, knowing full well that he meant to get Krystal out of this job.

"Take them prisoner or kill them, whichever suits you. But I must see their bodies either way to confirm your success. Don't let even one member run free."

"However," Leon pointed out, "we'll be outnumbered just like the last time." Wolf gave a small grimace at his outburst, knowing it was true but not wanting to admit it. He wanted to defeat that pup no matter what the numbers were.

"Not the case," their proprietor said, a certain slyness overcoming his tone. "Peppy Hare has just today been inaugurated as the new Cornerian General and, as a consequence, left the team. Slippy Toad is caring for his father, the Research Director for the Cornerian Defense Forces, who has fallen ill in recent days to some _unkown disease. _Their ace pilot, Falco Lombardi, is leaving as well to join his former gang in the Sector X colonies, though I don't know if he has left yet."

"That's three on three reguardless. We can handle that," Wolf said, finally lowering his blaster and placing it back in its holster. He then gave a nod in silent confirmation, following with a repitition of Panther's earlier outburst, "We'll do it."

-----

She was gone. She was really gone. She was nowhere to be found on the Great Fox, and neither was Falco. Both of their Arwings had been launched and were gone as well. Suddenly, the slight emotional high Fox had gotten when he ate dinner with Peppy earlier was nothing but a memory, and loneliness, anger, and utter confusion took its place. Sure, he knew Krystal was going to leave- he had brought that upon himself- but Falco too? Maybe he was only out for a little while and was coming back... _No, _Fox forced himself to think, _he's gone too. That's why he left without a goodbye. _Fox sat in his commander's seat at the head of the Great Fox, but this time, he was in command of nothing more than a machine; no one was around but Rob. Peppy... Slippy... Falco... _Krystal... _They were all gone. Memories Fox didn't even remember having suddenly flooded his mind with images of them, of their happy faces and embarrassing stories... And yet, with all the cheer that such memories usually brought, they now only shattered the pieces left of his heart into even smaller fragments. He was broken in both his mind and in his heart, and the emptiness showed itself fully in his dead eyes. Their placid gaze was fixed upon the framed picture he held in his hands, the one of him and Krystal on what he supposed was a date on the lone island of Aquas. The scene behind them was breathtaking, but the sapphire vixen at his side made that setting sun look like nothing more than a poor crayon drawing by a four year-old. Affection spelled out her entire expression, and he knew exactly who all of it was for... him. He... he loved her. He truly did, and no matter how much he suppressed it or found reasons to avoid it, that was the only truth. But now, she was out of his life, just as he had asked her to do. She was gone. But... how could he just let her go like this...?

"Rob," Fox uttered as silently as a man's final words on his death bed.

"Yes?" was his robotic reply.

"Set a course for Sauria," he ordered.

-----


	4. Arrival

**Disclaimer: **Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

**-----**

**The Shards of a Broken Krystal – **by Staindgrey

**Chapter IV – Arrival**

**-----**

"Come on, baby," the pilot pleaded with an uneasy confidence in his voice, "Just a li'l bit further!" His gloved hands were fastened to the controls of his ship like magnets to an anvil as he tried with all the strength left in his body to keep the small craft flying straight. The steering controls were shaking violently within his clenched fists as he felt the heat of a batch of sparks splashing against his furred neck. He winced in pain but refused to loosen his hold on the shuddering gearshifts. He could see the small form of Corneria in the distance; he'd be safe there. Now, he only had to manage getting there. Shots of electricity came from all around the cramped cockpit as the constant blaring sound of the alarm system rang inside the pilot's oversized ears. Heat was building inside the ship as well, making the situation all the less pleasant to experience. _Just a little longer... _he thought.

Through the thick sunglasses that shielded his eyes, the reynard pilot spotted something up ahead, between him and Corneria. It was closing the gap rather quickly, and he started to make out its four-winged shape. Finally letting go of one of the directional levers, he quickly reached for the communication system, flicking the switch to its 'on' position. The screen was still blank, however, with not so much as a static buzz coming up. "Damn it!" he cursed his luck, "Comm. link's down." As he felt his Arwing whirl into a spin to the right, he hastily grabbed the controls again, pulling with all his might back to the left to even the ship out. He overcompensated, however, and began to roll to the left. Finally, the pilot slammed the breaks hoping that they at least still worked, and they barely did. Using the sole G-diffuser available, he pulled into a tight right turn and then veered back to a slight left, regaining what little control he had of his nearly devastated ship and heading directly towards the approaching vessel. As he came nearer, he could make out the rough X-shaped outline of the craft against the bright blue spot behind it that was Corneria. "No way!" he barked with a content laugh soon following.

-----

Fox was still in his morose mood as he sat in his forlorn commander's chair at the head of the Great Fox, occasionally taking yet another look at the photograph in his hand as if to check that it was still there. He had no idea where Krystal was going or, if he found her, if she would even bother listening to his apology. Images of her in danger kept playing through his miserable mind as he began to realize that, even though his line of work was dangerous, at least when she was here he never had the fear of not knowing where she was or if she was even still alive. That trepidation was killing him now, and his only wish now was to bring her back safely.

"Incoming spacecraft at ten o'clock," he heard Rob's monotone voice call from below.

"What?" was his instinctive response as he stood to his feet. "What is it?"

"A first-generation Arwing, the 'Wyvern'," Rob answered as he brought a live image of the craft up on monitor. It was on the last limb of its life, sparks of bright red electricity spewing out of its two broken wings like fountains of wine. The ship was battered to the point of being totaled, but it still somehow kept from exploding as it neared the Great Fox.

"First generation...?" Fox's jaw dropped as he began to remember the classes of Arwings manufactured. The first generation was the type of standard Arwing used by the original Star Fox team- Peppy, Pigma, and... "No, it can't be! There's no way!" Fox turned his attention back down toward Rob, practically screaming, "Get communications with that thing! I wanna know who's piloting it!"

"Negative," the android answered. "Communication cannot be established. Impending spacecraft either can not or will not establish the connection."

Fox's expression was clouded with anxiety as his thoughts fought over destroying or saving the failing Arwing. It could very well be a trap, sent with a bomb inside set to detonate when inside the Great Fox. But, it could be... _him. _And with the shape it was in, no wonder the comm. link wouldn't work. But still... What if it was a booby trap? Fox could never let himself fall for some dumb ploy like that.

_Shoot it down! _rationality shouted, _Don't let that thing get any closer!_

_But what if it's him?_ his conscience retorted,_ What if it's your father? Are you just going to let him die when he's on his last leg right in front of you?_

_They're playing with your mind! They want you to think it's your dad, but he's dead. You know that. What you saw when you escaped Venom was your imagination. James McCloud is **dead**._

_You don't know that! This could be your last chance to see your father ever again!_

_And if it's a bomb, you can say goodbye to ever catching up with Krystal. You don't have the money to repair this ship again!_

_Your father... _the voice inside him pleaded, _Your father, Fox..._

"Open the docking gate," he said with the best amount of confidence he could muster. "Let him in." Without another moment of hesitation, Fox sprinted out of the room and into the main hallway, trying desperately to get to the hangar in time. If that really was his father... he couldn't let him die. He had to take this chance, regardless of the potential danger it brought. He had to do it, _for him..._

Thoughts of Krystal began to swirl inside his mind again like a nagging itch that refused to go away. He unconsciously began to make a connection as he ran. _Wait... I'm taking a chance. I'm laying it all out on the line because of my dad... because... I love him..._

A light bulb flickered inside his mind, then burst out of self-hatred almost instantly afterward. How could he be so stupid? He couldn't realize it before, but everything he was thinking about Krystal's safety was wrong. She wasn't blindly falling into his life only to hit rock bottom- she was willingly throwing herself into it, knowing full well of the consequences such an action may hold. She did it... because she loved him. And he shot her down. He told her she couldn't, that the past two years were a waste, and that he didn't want her in his life anymore. His own words echoed inside his head as each syllable pierced him like a dagger, puncturing him over and over as he continued running. _"If you being a part of my life means you risking death everyday to do so... then I don't want you to be a part of my life."_

"Damn it!" he screamed as his speed increased dramatically out of sheer anger. This was all his fault. Everything. If he hadn't been such a blockhead in the first place... Had he just stopped to think before he went and screwed everything up...

"Dad! I'm coming, Dad!" Anger was quickly replaced by fear for his father's life as his troubled mind snapped back to reality. Yes, he screwed things up with Krystal. No, he had no idea if he could ever mend things between them, or if he could even find her again. But he wasn't about to let himself make another mistake now, not with his father's life on the line. He no longer cared if it could be a bomb; the only thing on his mind now was the thought of seeing his father's face once more. But that image began to fade as it was replaced with thoughts of the old fox being incinerated in his own ship, his last cries calling for his son that wasn't there in time... _NO! _his conscience cried as he began to run past his own peak. He had to make it there; he had to!

The hallway seemed to be getting longer as every step he made became harder. Breaths became heavier. Strides became shorter. Heat and pain found its way into every muscle in his body as he continued to push himself with the adrenaline mustered from the need to save a loved one. We was losing himself in this race, this race against time. Love and fury intertwined like the winds of a tornado as Fox kept going, refusing to give up or even slow his pace. _Just a little further... Just a little further..._

At last, he made his way to the docking bay entrance. He swiftly grabbed an oxygen helmet and fastened it on, then unlatched the airproof doorway and walked inside. The hangar door was already open, leaving the remnants of air already gone and the space vacuum diminished so Fox wasn't immediately sucked out. He grabbed onto a security latch along the wall for safe measure as he stared into the fragment of space before him, trying to find the aged Arwing coming in. He saw nothing for a few moments, and impatiently called for Rob through the radio in his helmet. "Rob, where's the ship?"

"Incoming in five seconds." Five... Four... Three... Two... Fox braced himself as his eyes refused to blink, his entire body ready to leap at any given instant that its mind called it to. Finally, on cue, a small, crumbling Arwing flew downward into the docking bay, reeling itself in an upward motion just in time to avoid a direct impact. The rickety piece of scrap metal hit the floor tail-end first, bringing the nose of the ship down forcefully with recoil. Sparks flew like a sudden tidal wave on both sides of the landing craft as it began to slow down with the brutal friction beneath it, the lack of gravity not allowing it to finally rest in a complete stop. Instead, the first-generation Arwing hovered upwards again in an opposite reaction from the base beneath it, and then finally collided with the wall beneath where Fox stood, watching with nothing but horror etched into his features.

"Dad!" Fox yelped as he almost let go of his safety harness without thinking. The rational side of himself stopped him, though, realizing that if he tried to save him now, he'd merely drift off into space and his father would die from lack of oxygen. Wasting no time, he yelled into his radio, "Close the gate! Now!" Almost instantaneously, the door began coming back up, slowly enclosing the hangar back to its airtight state. Finally, the safety locks were latched and the mechanized gravity settings turned back on. As the oxygen valves stationed across the walls of the room began to release, Fox wasted no time in leaping down to the now grounded Arwing and trying desperately to open its cockpit. Luckily for both him and the pilot inside, the lack of oxygen before prevented any explosion as the ship impacted, but in the condition it was in, it could detonate at any moment. Fox had no time to spare.

"Dad!" He screamed again as he yanked at the cockpit window, trying to set the ship's captive free. Finally, its latches unlocked, and the window slowly pulled away from the cockpit, revealing the tan-furred pilot within.

"Relax, will ya? I'm fine," James McCloud said with a cocky grin, the lights of the hangar gleaming in his jet black glasses like those of a movie star making his entrance. Fox was overjoyed to the point of tears as his arms wrapped around his long-lost father's neck, pulling him painfully into his chest as was shown by the elder fox's noticeable grunt.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Fox yelped as he quickly tore his arms away from his head. "Did I hurt you?"

"Nah," James replied nonchalantly, rubbing his neck. "Just a bumpy ride, that's all." He then proceeded to pull himself out of his seat, then kicked his legs up and out of the ship and landed firmly on the floor below, loving the feel of standing on solid ground once again. Fox followed suit, falling down next to his father as he practically threw his helmet off, revealing a genuine smile plastered on his face. "So, happy to see me?"

-----

Wolf rested uneasily as his Wolfen shredded through the pitch black background of space on autopilot, leaving behind a rather long trail of bright blue energy as it went. Something about their mission didn't sit right with the Star Wolf leader, no matter how willing his buffoon teammates were to accept it for the generous offer of cash. Why didtheir employerwant Star Fox gone so badly? And why did he practically beg them to stay the night on Sauria to "conserve their energy"? Wolf had never known an employer to give any sort of damn about his mercenaries' condition. Regardless, he didn't necessarily want to leave right at that moment anyway... But something about the way he acted was more than fishy. The guy himself made Wolf suspicious about the whole ordeal. Why did he conceal himself and never give his name? More importantly, why did he recognize the guy's voice? Questions ran through Wolf's mind like wildfire, but he did his best to let himself take a rest- he really did need it. Besides, he was Wolf O'Donnell. No matter what kind of tricks this guy had up his sleeve, if he even had any, he could beat it. Maybe this could work out to his advantage after all... Another shot at the legendary Fox McCloud...

"Something's on radar," Wolf heard a raspy voice call over his communications speaker. He opened his good eye to see the image of Leon onscreen. He then glanced over at his own radar, spotting the small red beacon in the top right corner. He watched it move for a moment, then returned his attention to the lizard speaking to him.

"It's not heading in our direction. Don't worry about it," he said without a hint of concern in his voice. The spot on his radar screen was indeed flying straight past them, unless it planned pulling a tight U-turn anytime soon to attempt a sneak attack from behind. But Wolf knew such a ploy would be suicide, and decided not to pay it any heed. He much preferred sleeping.

"But it's traveling at a speed of four-hundred eighty meters per second," he said as-a-matter-of-factly. "That sort of velocity with such a small craft is very rare. It's possible that it's-"

"An Arwing?" Wolf finished with more than a pinch of irritation overcoming his tone. "Doubtful."

"Hmm..." Panther thought aloud, his golden eyes fixed on the black sea of space before him. He was at Wolf's right wing, which enabled him to see the small shooting star that was inching ever nearer much clearer than Leon could. He examined it carefully, comparing it to his few former encounters with the Star Fox team. With a sly grin, he purred, "It's an Arwing, alright."

-----

Krystal was still so incredibly mixed up from the past few days of utter turmoil; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but wonder if she was doing the wrong thing in leaving. Fox said it himself, _"I don't want you to be a part of my life." _Those words rang inside her head to the point of nearly cracking her skull. She couldn't get rid of them, not with every happy memory they had together. Her feelings of confusion and frustration began to swirl into a raging whirlwind of emotions in her mind, and she could feel her own blood begin to boil within her veins as her thoughts became more rabid. She clamped her eyes shut as she tried to force the migraine to vanish, but nothing seemed to work. On and on her own memories plagued her, becoming a vital disease that was eating away at her defenseless heart. She couldn't take much more... She couldn't take _any _more._ Fox... Why? Why...? WHY!_

All of a sudden she felt a flash of heat against her forearm, which immediately retracted from the lever it was handling in reaction. Krystal's cerulean eyes once again opened as she surveyed first the random singe on her arm and then the source from which it came. One of the buttons on the control panel to her left was blown, leaving a small, uncovered spot of machinery in its place. That spot looked as if it had been punctured by a knife, but Krystal knew everything was in perfect working condition before she left the Great Fox. _Did I do that...? _she wondered. She instantly disregarded the thought, telling herself, "No, of course not. A fuse must have blown." She finished with a nervous giggle, pushing her navy bangs away from her line of vision and saying, "Maybe Slippy missed a spot during repairs." _Slippy... _Memories once again began to flood her mind like an empty bucket waiting to be filled, and once again, she tried her absolute hardest to fight it. Luckily for her, something interrupted the quiet that seemed to so easily overcome her.

"Ah, if it isn't the lovely Krystal," a familiar, overly-masculine voice said as Panther Caroso's countenance came onscreen.

_Ugh... _Krystal thought to herself as her rolling eyes displayed her emotions perfectly, _Just what I needed. _"Panther, I'm not in the mood for this."

"Then perhaps you're in the mood to fight?" Panther's charismatic face was replaced with the war-torn mug of Wolf O'Donnell, a frightening sneer wrapped along the edge of his gray-furred cheek.

"No," she shot back, "I don't have time for this. I'm not with Star Fox anymore, so please... just leave me alone." Her tone was that of a lost puppy trying desperately to get out of the pouring rain. Her large, feminine eyes told the story as well, catching Caroso's attention- and ladies' man's heart- within seconds.

"We'll see if you're still 'out of the mood' after a few cannon shots... heh heh..." Leon warned as he pulled his Wolfen in Krystal's direction with a good enough speed to intercept her as she passed. Much to his dismay, however, something pulled into his way- the rose-bearing Wolfen. "What're you doing?" he mocked, "Get out of the way!"

"There's no use in picking a fight with the brokenhearted," Panther eulogized. "Leave her be."

"Panther...! Get out of my way or I'll shoot you down first!" Panther merely growled in response, inching his Wolfen nearer to Leon's.

"Stop it! Both of you!" their commander barked. "You're both idiots... Panther, you go after Krystal. Do as you wish with her, but I want her brought back to me right away so we can get that reward. Don't screw it up or your pampered hide is mine."

"Thank you, sir," was Panther's genuine reply as he bowed his head slightly in respect. Leon's response wasn't so reverent.

"What? You're just going to let _him _go after a _woman? _You know he-"

"He'll get the job done or he'll never set foot within the same galaxy as me again," Wolf snarled, finishing the conversation once and for all. Leon glared at Panther through his cockpit window, then gave a slightly lessoned defiant stare to his leader before steering his Wolfen back into position behind his left wing. Panther then made a sharp right turn to pull away from the group, bringing his ship towards the tail of Krystal's speeding Arwing. He was quite a bit behind, but could still tell where she was by the trail of after-energy her craft left behind. She was off of his radar, so it was safe to assume he wasn't on hers either- a perfect way to stalk a fleeing fox.

-----

Alright, it's shorter than I originally planned, but that just means the next one will be a little bit longer. As you can probably tell, this is going to start to branch into two different plots, so just keep that in mind when I jump randomly from plot to plot. I don't know when chapter 5 will be up, but I promise to all those people begging for the action part of the story to come into play, you won't be disappointed. Thanks again for reading.


	5. Dogfights in the Skies of Katina

**Disclaimer: **Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

**-----**

**The Shards of a Broken Krystal – **by Staindgrey

**Chapter V – Dogfights in the Skies of Katina**

**-----**

There he was, in the flesh, standing right before his very eyes. He must have been dreaming, but even if he was, he didn't really care. There was his father, still in one piece, with a confident smirk that said it all: "I survived, and I'm here to stay."

The elder fox looked quite young for his age of fifty-two, minus the graying hairs found speckled along the edges of his russet fur. He had the stature of a man at his peak- chest out, chin up, and smile resolute. His opaque, black sunglasses gave him the aura of an action movie hero ready to whip out a pair of pistols and blow things up at random. He much resembled his son in his reynard features, with oversized tan ears and spots of white fur on his muzzle, crown, and the end of his bushy tail. He wore the same uniform of his old Star Fox days, which consisted of a green commando uniform with a khaki jacket, gray shin-high boots, and a flaring red handkerchief stuffed neatly at his chest. His gloved hands were resting atop the inner parts of his elbows within his tightly crossed arms, the graying tan fur of his forearms fully exposed from his rolled up jacket sleeves. Fox took every detail of him as if he were examining a priceless piece of art, every moment of it feeling like a much needed breath of fresh air.

"Dad... I can't believe it's you," he admitted, his voice lost in a dreamy state.

"Well, believe it," James replied with a cool tone. "Sorry to have left you guessing for so long."

"But where have you been?" And thus, the interrogation began. Fox began to spew out questions like a broken fire hydrant spraying out water, leaving James no room for an answer in between. "What have you been doing? How'd you survive? I thought you were dead... What happened to your Ar-"

"Whoa, whoa," James finally interrupted, holding out his hands in a "stop" gesture. "Chill, Fox. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'll answer all your questions. But first..." His hands dropped to his stomach as he dropped his tough guy veneer for a moment. "...ya got anything to eat?"

-----

Krystal at last landed on solid ground after traveling the length of the Lylat System with a self-torturing mindset. The thought of leaving Fox and the life she had tried so hard to gain was tormenting her, but did she really have any other choice? As she opened the cockpit window and beheld the beauty of Thorntail Hollow, for a moment all the feelings plaguing her seemed to vanish, and the quiet rush of the breeze in her fur and the gentle running of the nearby creek were all that filled her mind. She took in the planet's beauty for all it was worth, examining every bit of it down to each subtle blade of luscious green grass. The large leaves of the even larger trees swayed with the wind and the land was covered with Nodosauruses, or Thorntails, as they were known on Sauria. They were rather large, four-legged reptiles with a hard, scaly back that extended into a long, bony tail. Their mouths resembled the beaks of birds, but were hard as rock. Their small, red eyes looked peaceful and calm, nothing at all like some of the other dinosaurs inhabiting the planet. The Thorntail dinosaurs were all looking at her with joyful smiles as they made their way towards her Arwing, watching the blue vixen as she hopped out and once again felt the wonderful sensation of solid ground beneath her feet. She took in a much-needed breath of fresh air, and then waved her hand in a kind gesture, shouting, "Xa kxoho!" in their native language.

"Xocce, Krystal!" one Thorntail shouted back, returning the greeting. "Nxuk rhadwj oei xoho?"

Krystal hadn't been to Sauria for awhile; she knew she was a little rough around the edges with her Saurian. But she still registered the dinosaur's words as _What brings you here?_ She replied, "A um ceebadw veh u fcuso ke jkuo veh unxaco." _I am looking for a place to stay for awhile. _She spoke slowly without a lot of jazz in her words; the elder Thorntail before her could tell she was out of practice.

"Ak'j rood u cedw kamo," he said with a hoarse laugh."Ev seihjo oei sud jkuo veh uj cedw uj oei nudk." Krystal only got bits and pieces of what he was saying, but she was pleased to hear the part of _stay as long as you like. _She bowed her head in customary fashion and answered with a standard Saurian thank you.

"Kxudbj."

-----

"Mmmm!" The old fox purred like a kitten as he practically inhaled the leftovers in front of him. It was obvious he hadn't eaten in sometime, since Fox couldn't stomach last week's dinner quite as easily. Fox took a couple small bites of his portion then let it sit, patiently waiting for his father to start using his mouth for talking rather than stuffing it full of food. He watched as James just about threw an entire chicken leg into the mouth, taking more than half of its meat in one quick bite. "This is good eatin'!" the elder fox said with what resembled a smile over his puffed up cheeks.

_I guess Mom never really taught him manners... _Fox mused. "How long has it been since you've eaten, Dad?" Fox had a sarcastic tone in his voice, but he was really using the inquiry as a lead-in to the real questions he wanted answers; he had to get the vacuum to talk somehow.

James scoffed down another bite then, with his hand already in motion to pull in another hunk of food, replied, "I don't know. Probably... a week, I guess."

"Wow, what have you been doing that kept you from eating anything? Floating around space in that tin can of yours?" Fox chuckled a little at his own joke; James seemed to be overcome by an aura of seriousness.

"The Wyvern is no 'tin can', Fox. That thing has saved my life more times than I can remember. I owe my life to that baby."

"Alright, alright, sorry..." Fox said, his ears lowering in cowardice towards his father's sudden stern words. James immediately shook off his harsh tone and replaced it with a fatherly smile, though he wasted no time in once again drowning his throat with chicken meat. Fox continued, "So... what brings you here now, of all times? And what happened to you? Your Arwing's a mess!"

"Confidential stuff," he muttered with an overly full mouth. Fox gave him the 'oh, right' look and let it go.

"Well then what have you been doing for the past few years? I mean, I never heard from you or anything after you saved me at Venom..."

James finally put down his food and looked directly at his son through his thick, black glasses. He had suddenly turned back into a martial state, taking his napkin and lightly wiping the remnants of food from his mouth before answering. "Ever since I escaped Venom, I've been doing solo reconnaissance work for the military under different aliases; I didn't want anybody to know I was actually still alive. As of late, though, I've been in the Solar System competing in the F-Zero series for some leisure. A man's gotta retire from real work sometime in his life."

"But why?" Even more pleading than his tone of voice were Fox's heartthrob eyes; they were the eyes of a boy lost from his father for over a decade. "Why did you have to keep your identity a secret? I thought you were dead!"

"And, with the kinda work I was been doing, I was damn close to it," he mused. "I figured that nobody, especially my own son, deserves to feel the heartbreak of losing a father twice, let alone once. If you thought I was dead once before, then I might as well stay that way." His features softened as he began to fall into a dreamy state while he continued, "You've grown and matured without me, son. You're a man now."

"Yeah, but... being a man doesn't mean I don't care for my own father..." Fox couldn't cry in front of his back-from-the-dead father, but he sure felt like doing so right about now. He wanted more than anything to just reach out for him, wrapping his aging body with his own two arms and never, ever letting go. At the same time, he wanted to lash out at him, striking him in the noggin with all the force he could muster for leaving him for so many years. Regardless, though, he was back; he was really back. Fox's heart swelled to twice its size at the thought of those words: _He's back._

"Well, I never doubted that you still cared about your old man," James commented with a chuckle, "but some things are just too hard for some people to bear. I wasn't sure if you'd ever be able to handle my sudden return from the dead, but, as far as I can tell, you seem to be taking it pretty well, heh." James chugged the last of his root beer and wiped the bit of liquid off of his fur-covered lips, then practically slammed the glass bottle against the table. "Man, this is a nice place you've got here; hell of a lot better than our old Great Fox."

"Well, we had to replace it... again." Fox rolled his eyes at his own comment. "Although, after purchasing it, we've been short on money for its upkeep. Slip usually took care of things pretty well, but right now he's gone..."

"Where's he?" James questioned.

"He's staying with his bedridden father, Beltino."

"Beltino Toad?"

"The same."

"Wow, he's gotta be getting up there in years. He's the one who made the first Arwing type that I pilot. The man's a genius." James propped his feet up onto another chair to get himself more comfortable, then continued, "So where's the rest of your team? You do have one, don't you?"

Fox suddenly gave the impression of a little kid trying to prove he's all grown up. "_Yes, Dad, I have a team. _But, just yesterday, actually, they've parted ways for a little while. What timing, huh? You didn't even get to see them."

"Who are they?" James persisted. "Peppy one of 'em?"

"Well, he was in fact just sworn in as the new Supreme General of the Cornerian Army yesterday."

"Peppy?" James had the look of a confused pup. "He replaced General Pepper? Get out."

"No joke. Maybe we can go meet him whenever we get a chance."

"Well, why not now? Where are we heading, anyway?"

Fox's expression was suddenly eclipsed with a looming sense of fear, like the sun being overshadowed by a storm cloud just before the rain. "Sauria."

"Sauria?" James looked at his son like he was mad. "That lonely little planet out on the edge of Lylat that keeps getting left off of maps 'cause it's so prehistoric?"

"Yeah," Fox said, emotionless.

"What the hell are you going there for?" Fox didn't say anything. Instead, his gaze hit the floor, just like his heart did once it was reminded of her... _Krystal... _James looked his son over, then, with a knowing look behind his sunglasses, he said, "It's a girl, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

"A girl. You're chasing a girl all the way to Sauria. Am I right?" A smirk couldn't help but crawl across the elder fox's face as he watched the younger one's expression while he failed to find something to say in response. James chuckled a little. "I'm right. So, is she cute? Nice? Is she weird at all?"

"Dad, enough!" Fox blurted out, a blush finding its way beneath his tan fur. "Yeah, we're going after one of my _teammates,_ and, yes, she's a _girl._"

"So, is this about love? Or is it _strictly professional?_" He threw in a pair of fingered quotation marks to add a sarcastic effect to his last two words.

"It's... uh..."

"Aww, Fox is in love," James interrupted, proving that even after a decade's absence, he could still read his own kin like a book. "So, is she pretty? Have you done anything yet? I need details!"

"Dad!"

Suddenly, Fox's communicator gave a beep for an incoming call. Saved by the bell. Fox hurriedly pressed the button on his wrist to hear Rob's familiar, mechanized voice. "Two unknown vehicles are heading towards Great Fox at high speeds."

"What are they?" Fox asked.

"They are not at a close enough range to tell, and they have not yet sent communications. But their small size and speed suggest that they may be Wolfens."

"Wolfens..." Fox repeated, rubbing the fur beneath his muzzle in thought.

"Star Wolf?" James pulled his legs off of his footrest and pushed his own chair back as he asked the question.

"Yeah."

"Pigma..." James growled under his breath.

Fox quickly rid his father of the thought. "No, Pigma died a year ago. It's just Wolf, Leon, and this new guy, Panther Caroso. But, there's only two of 'em..."

"Doesn't matter if there's two or three of them; they still have the upper hand," James said as he stood to his feet beside the table. "I'm coming with you."

"No way, Dad." Fox took no time in shutting him down. "Your Arwing's in no condition to fly, let alone fight a Wolfen."

"Then I'll take one of yours."

"No. The control system is far different than what you're used to. They've changed the entire system with the new Arwing model. You'd be a sitting duck."

"Fox, c'mon, have a little faith in your old man-"

"I lost you once, I'm not about to lose you again." Fox's voice was both morose and powerful at the same time. "I can handle them both on my own; I've done it before. Besides, it may not even be Star Wolf at all. We still don't know." Without waiting for a response, he started for the kitchen's exit, calling back, "You can head to the briefing room if you want to watch your son in action. Rob'll bring it up on screen for ya. But stay put, Dad. I mean it!" And with that, the door closed, leaving a speechless, over-the-hill fox, a plate full of chicken bones, and utter silence in the room behind him.

-----

"How do we know that guy wasn't setting us up?"

Wolf had just about had it with Leon's constant speculation. He already knew the whole thing was fishy, and he had is own doubts, but they didn't have too much of a choice; they needed the cash. He still couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the guy who employed them... His voice and scent were so utterly familiar, but Wolf never could place where from...

"He could very well be setting us up, but quite frankly, I don't care," Wolf growled towards the screen on which Leon's face was painted. "Now, unless you're turning chicken on me, get ready. I can see Great Fox from here." Leon gave a small grunt in response, but continued following his leader at his wing.

"The way they're leaving Corneria to come greet us... it seems as if they know we're coming."

"Or they could be heading for Sauria where Krystal went. Think, bonehead." Leon looked as if he was about to retaliate, but Wolf quickly hushed him, "Now shut up. The docking bay's opening up."

Both fighter pilots watched with anticipation as the door as the rear of Great Fox slowly opened. They weren't sure how many Arwings would come out, but they were each hoping it wouldn't be over two. If what their employer said was true, then both Slippy and Falco were gone, and now Krystal too. That left the pup and no one else. Wolf liked those odds.

Sure enough, a solo Arwing came out, letting the door close behind it to confirm it was the only one. A sneer crossed Wolf's shaggy face from ear to oversized ear as he watched the winged ship come nearer. Suddenly, Fox's face came onscreen, a look of sheer determination overcoming his features. "What do you want, Wolf?"

"We've got a score to settle, pup. Don't think I've forgotten about our little mishap at Sargassoa year ago."

"Wolf, I don't have time for this. You can settle your score with me some other time. Right now, I've gotta-"

"Save your damsel in distress," he disrupted. "We met her on her way to Sauria."

"You _what?_"

"That doesn't matter now, and unless you can survive fighting both of us, it won't matter later, either." Wolf's murderous smirk only widened as he came within firing range of the approaching Arwing. "This time, you die, pup!"

Fox knew now that this fight couldn't be avoided. Even after helping him destroy the Aparoid Homeworld, Wolf was still as bitter as ever towards him. He had hoped that, after working together, they had at last mended their differences, but apparently that was far from the truth. Wolf was hell-bent on finally beating Fox after losing to him time and time again, and now was his chance to do so. Whether he was in it for revenge or for money, Fox had no idea, but it really didn't matter either way- he had to beat both of these guys, alone.

Fox wasted no time in activating his boost to slice right through the duo. He pulled his controls to the right, slanting his ship skillfully through the two Wolfens with just enough room to spare. He then reverted back to the left, letting go of his boost to allow for a tighter turn. Wolf and Leon reacted as quickly as ever, one turning violently to the right, the other to the left in the same fashion. Fox was now approaching Wolf head-on with Leon closing in on his left. He fired with his twin blasters at his impending target, the two bright blue beams shining like shooting stars in the blackness of space. Wolf quickly barrel-rolled to his left, deflecting the beams with the temporary shield the maneuver produced. Leon used this opportunity to sneak in a hit on Fox's Arwing, but alas, the shot missed its target. Fox enabled the boost once again, pulling back hard on the controls to swing into a back flip right over Leon's Wolfen. As he came back around, he veered his ship to the left, giving chase to Leon's backside. He fired a couple shots and watched with pride as they found their target, igniting a few sparks at its tail. Leon then spun away to the right, deflecting the few still approaching blasts with the barrel roll.

"Stupid fox..." Leon muttered. He tried to use his ship's greater maneuverability to get behind the enemy ship, but Fox was still somehow on his tail. Leon gave an annoyed huff then ignited his boost to pull away from his predator. As Fox gave chase, Wolf snuck in behind him and locked on with a charged blast. Fox felt the hard crash as the ball of energy collided with his right wing, then quickly made a sharp right turn to get out of harm's way. Wolf decided to wait before chasing his prey as he turned his ship to the left, coming back around to face the Star Fox leader. Fox watched his radar intently and saw what Wolf was doing. Seeing Leon circle around in the same fashion, Fox cut his turn short and veered back to his left, moving steadfastly away from his two opponents. As the two Wolfens came together behind him, Fox wasted no time in activating his boost once again and pulling back on his controls, bringing his ship up and over the attacking ships. Instead of completing the predictable loop, however, he sharply flipped his Arwing back around, then used the rest of his boost to plunge forward and away from the danger below.

Wolf sneered once again as he watched his rival's skills from his cockpit window, then signaled for Leon over the communicator. "Leon, fly ahead and leave the pup to me. Once you're out of sight, turn around and come back, then take him by surprise." Leon simply nodded in confirmation, the proceeded to boost ahead. Wolf then turned around with the same tactic Fox had used, flipping his vehicle backwards then boosting forward as he regained his balance. As he did, Fox was already turning back around with a charge beam ready at the nose of his Arwing. The bright, red ball shined like a mini sun as it launched from its spot, directed at the approaching Wolfen. "Don't think I'll fall that easily!" Wolf yelled into his comm. link as barrel-rolled out of the way. He let his ship fall to the left, then brought it back up to the right in a spinning fashion, hoping to catch Fox off guard. However, when he came back up in attacking position, there was no Arwing to be found.

"I didn't," Fox replied mockingly. He had pulled his Arwing into another flip just as he had fired the charged blast, hoping that the attack would distract Wolf momentarily. His scheme had worked, and he came back around above Wolf's ship, leaving him vulnerable for an instant. Fox took his chance and fired, making contact with three consecutive shots before Wolf boosted under him to escape.

"Damn it," the wolf grunted as he pulled his ship back towards his adversary. _I can't let myself fall for stupid tricks like that... This is my chance! _Wolf pushed his vehicle to its top speed as he pulled up to Fox's rear, letting him have a few blasts in return. A couple connected, but Fox quickly barrel-rolled out of the way once again. His shields were still up, but he couldn't let many more shots hit him before they started making full contact. Using his Arwing's superior braking ability, he slammed on the G-Diffusers and let Wolf fly past over him, then quickly returned to his normal speed as he turned away from his opponent.

_There's got to be a way I can beat him... _Fox thought as adrenaline continued to pump through him. _But how- _He suddenly caught a glimpse of a fast approaching vehicle coming from his right on radar. "What the-?" He boosted forward out of the way, but still caught a mass of laser blasts on his right wing. He grunted heavily as he felt the ship shake, but continued moving forward with his boost before once again braking and turning out to his right.

"Heh heh, didn't forget about me, did you?" Leon said sinisterly on Fox's screen as he flew past. Fox already began to beat himself up over forgetting that he was fighting two people, not just Wolf; that could prove costly in just a few minutes. He hastily checked his shield gage and noticed that the right wing was already taking damage, since that was the only spot they'd been able to hit. He, on the other hand, had barely touched either of them. _This isn't good... _his mind agonized.

Before him was the bright, white planet of Katina. Its overabundance of clouds gave it its pallid appearance, as Fox had learned first hand back in his days at the academy. He remembered when he and Bill had been stationed there for flight training. The planet was practically deserted, save a few hundred military outposts stationed all over its surface. Fox began to wonder how many of those bases were battle-ready with these times of peace; probably not many. But if he was going to shake Star Wolf, he'd have to try...

"Yaaaaaahoooooooo!" Fox heard over his comm. link. He knew the voice, though he'd never heard him yell like that.

"...Dad!" The image of James McCloud's mug came onto Fox's display screen, his sunglasses still on and his smirk like that of an action movie hero. Fox glanced outside his cockpit window and saw a brand new Generation 4 Arwing flying steadfastly towards them at full speed. "Dad! Get out of here! You have no idea how to pilot-"

"I can handle it fine, Fox," James cut in, "Stop worrying about me and start protecting your own hide better."

"James McCloud...?" Wolf said, almost mesmerized. He thought he was dead, as did his teammate, Leon. But an alarm seemed to go off in his head like a violent warning; he was beginning to piece things together now...

"James McCloud?" Leon repeated, "That's impossible! I watched you die!"

"No, you watched me crash, not die," James shot back with a grin. "Now, it's payback time, Star Wolf."

"This has to be a trick!" Leon exclaimed in an unbecoming sense of fear.

"It's no trick, Leon." Wolf's voice was forceful, but strangely quiet. He usually barked at Leon's outbursts, but he had all of a sudden become distant. He knew something Leon didn't, and the chameleon caught the hint well. "You take James, I've got the pup. Don't let me down."

"Got it," Leon answered, pulling his vehicle away from the younger Fox and towards the older one. "I'll make sure you die this time!"

"Stop talking and start firing," James retorted. This boiled Leon's cold blood even more as he sent his Wolfen screaming towards him, lasers flying in bunches towards their target. James's Arwing barrel-rolled out of the way easily and flew just past Leon's speeding Wolfen, further illustrating the elder fox's uncanny confidence.

"You handle that thing pretty well," Leon thought aloud as he took as sharp of a turn as he could back towards the Arwing.

"Why, thank you," James expressed his sarcastic gratitude. "You don't." As Leon once again failed to suppress his vivid anger, James turned sharply in the opposite direction from which Leon was coming, then used the new Arwing's impressive boost speed to launch himself back behind the Wolfen. Within an instant, Leon was rained on with laser blasts, and he had taken a number of hits before he was able to roll out of the way. As he turned, James followed, not letting him out of his target range for a moment. Leon quickly jutted his ship back to the left, then just as speedily swerved to his right again. The maneuver barely caught the elder McCloud off guard as he was able to stay behind him and continue his barrage of shots.

"Gah! How are you still behind me?" Leon boosted upwards into a back flip, and James continued to follow on his tail. James somehow had a master of the mechanics of the brand new ship, which confused Fox to no end as he watched. His thoughts were cut off, however, by the low, gruff voice of Wolf.

"Did you set us up?" he asked bluntly.

"What?" Fox had no clue what he was talking about. 'Set him up'? He was trying to avoid this battle in the first place!

"I said, did you set us up!" Anger was taking over his tone now, as he pushed violently on his controls to hurl his craft towards the opposing Arwing. Fox hurriedly pulled up, dodging the onslaught of laser blasts that came towards him. He then pushed back down on the controls, sending his Arwing in a downward flip that brought him back to facing Katina just ahead. Wolf circled in behind him like a bird of prey, then took aim and began firing once again. A couple blasts struck Fox's right wing, furthering the damage done to it. Fox could feel his craft slanting to the right now without even weight on both sides, and it was only a matter of time before the wing snapped off. He barrel-rolled to the right, then avoided any other laser contact by steering back to the left and boosting away from Wolf and towards Katina.

"Dad! We've got to head for Katina! Get moving!"

"Right," was his only reply. Leon had finally escaped him and was trying to get behind his craft, but James was, so far, able to avoid him. James twirled his ship like a figure skater as he turned back towards Katina, activating his boost to try and escape Leon's Wolfen.

The four fighters continued into Katina's atmosphere, each one too far to make contact with the one ahead of them. Red flames began to consume their shielding as they plummeted towards the planet's surface, though their G-Diffusers were able to scale down the heat enough to keep them and their ships safe. Fox beheld the pinkish red crust that brought back so many memories of his days with the academy, before he left prematurely to replace his father in action...

His thoughts snapped back to reality as he realized he was coming dangerously close to the ground. He adjusted the output of his G-Diffusers to full power and felt the jar of his ship's sudden stop, then pulled up against the planet's gravity to a higher point in the sky. Below him in the distance, he saw the outpost he had seen Bill at just short of a decade ago. It had been so long; he wondered if he was still there. _Bill... C'mon man..._

Fox was shaken out of his wandering thoughts as he felt the jar of shots connecting at his back. The shaking was soon followed by a small explosion sound as his wing finally disconnected, falling helplessly towards the ground below. Fox gripped his controls for dear life and rolled towards his right to avoid any more direct hits. Wolf tried to follow, though his Wolfen couldn't pull off the same sharp turn that the Arwing could. Once he again noticed this, he fell back and swerved to the left as tightly as he could, hoping to catch the injured vehicle in the turnaround. "I've got you now, pup..."

"Wolf!" Leon exclaimed, "Behind you!"

"Wha-" Suddenly, a direct hit from a charge beam sent Wolf's head forward and crashing into his ship's steering column. He pulled back instantaneously and tried to steer out of the way of whoever was behind him, but continued to feel the violent blasts make full contact against his wavering shields. Finally, the attacker dispersed as he was chased off by O'Donnell's teammate.

"You won't win by using any sneak attacks here, James!" Leon spat out.

"_You're _accusing _me _of a sneak attack?" James chuckled confidently, but his tone soon after turned to that of a murderer. "Don't make me laugh." He fired once again at Leon's Wolfen, refusing to let him escape for as long as he possibly could. Leon barrel-rolled this way and that, but he still couldn't seem to shake the guy.

_How did he get this good? _Leon's mind tried to come up with any reason at all to explain the elder fox's sheer mastery of flying, but none would come. Meanwhile, Wolf and Fox were thinking the same thing.

"You set us up, didn't you?" Wolf repeated, snarling through the radio towards Fox.

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Stop lying, you backstabbing bastard!" Wolf charged another blast and sent it flying towards the Arwing before him, making full contact on its upper backside. Fox grunted loudly as the force of the explosion shook him, but regained control of his ship just quickly enough to avoid getting hit again. He slammed on the boost and catapulted his Arwing forward out of harm's way, then used the uneven air resistance of his shattered wing to turn even more sharply to the right, coming back for an almost head-on collision with Wolf. Without hesitation, he fired his only nova bomb, hoping to make at least some contact with the unexpecting Star Wolf leader. Wolf glided to the side easily, however, as he was expecting such a maneuver from the flight school-trained pilot. That was basics: your wing falls off, turn that way.

"Face it, pup, you're no match against me," he growled, "And just because Daddy's here to save you doesn't mean I can't take him down too. I just can't believe you'd ambush me without your whole team."

"Ambush you? _You _ambushed _us, _Wolf!" Fox was still caught completely off guard by Wolf's accusations, but his rival never hinted at letting them down. _What in the world is he talking about...? _he wondered.

"Don't mock me!" Wolf flipped backwards right behind Fox and began barraging him with laser blasts, all of which were making full contact with no shielding left to bar them. Fox tried to veer out of the way, but the assault was too much. He could hardly handle the ship's controls anymore. The damage alarm began to blare inside the cockpit and ring inside his oversized ears like the knells of a funeral bell. Was this the end...?

Suddenly, the barrage halted as Wolf pulled away. Fox had no idea what had happened, but he was sure it had been his father coming to his rescue again. Before he could thank him, however, a familiar face came on his communicator screen with a bright, shaggy haired smile and that same stupid yellow arrow helmet. "You okay, Fox?"

"Bill!" Fox was overcome with joy, though he wasn't sure if it was more from seeing his old pal again or the fact that his life had been spared. "Is that you?"

"Yep, saving your hide, as always," he replied with a hint of cockiness. He cut their reunion short, however, as he began to give orders to his fleet. "Red Squadron, attack the Wolfen at twelve o'clock. Blue Squadron, go for the one at two o'clock."

"Sir!" each of the squadron commanders responded posthaste.

Wolf and Leon each beheld the horde of Cornerian Army fighters coming towards them, and both of them knew what was to happen. "Leon, let's get out of here."

"Right." For once, Leon agreed with something Wolf said. Wolf wasn't about to leave without some last words, however.

"Fox, watch your hide. I'll be back to finish this battle sooner than you think. And James..." he paused a moment, like he was determining whether he should leave him with some witty line or just flick him off. "...you can kiss my ass." With that, he and Leon activated their hyperspeed modules, something Fox only wished the Arwing had been equipped with, and escaped the planet in the blink of an eye. Fox was relieved to have them gone, but something about the way Wolf acted still sent tingles of fear down his spine.

"Tch, cowards..." Bill muttered. "Both squadrons, back to the station. There's nothing left here. And Fox, you guys can come in for repairs."

"Thanks, Bill," Fox replied. He then looked out towards the Arwing formerly piloted by Slippy with a questioning glare. _Dad, how did you get so good? Is there something else you're not telling me...?_ For the moment, he shook off the feeling and followed Bill's commander ship back towards his base, James at his wing. The elder fox's face then came on his screen, a happy smile finding its way across his auburn face.

"You did good out there, son," he said with a thumbs-up. Fox couldn't help but feel an explosion of pride within him; he had never been complimented by his dad after a battle. Whatever doubts he had, they were now gone. That was his father, the great James McCloud, leader of the original Star Fox team. No doubt about it- he was the best of the best.

-----


	6. Giving Chase

**Disclaimer: **Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

**-----**

**The Shards of a Broken Krystal – **by Staindgrey

**Chapter VI – Giving Chase**

**-----**

The long, branching leaves of the archaic trees hung like silhouettes against the faint, white light of the full moon above. Sauria was one of the few planets in Lylat to have a moon, and it was a beautiful sight to behold for any onlooker. The outlines of the primitive leaves gave an eerie yet exotic feel to the springs below which bubbled almost automatically day and night. The pond was a translucent green with spots of steam rising above it like fog in the dead of night. The only light besides that of a dim moon came from three forlorn flames atop torch sticks. They had been lit only a few moments ago by one of the villager Thorntails by using his rock hard beak to grind across the wick and snap a spark or two to ignite it. The accommodation was set for the visitor, and the crickets nearby sang in orchestrated fashion as if to greet the mystic vixen. The Thorntail slowly trudged out from the small clearing of trees and back onto the grassy plain outside with a smile crossing her rocky features.

"Kxoho oei we, Mujj Krystal," the Thorntail said in a delighted feminine voice. "Hocup. Odzeo oeih dawxk!"

Krystal, after spending the day mingling amongst old friends and new faces within the Hollow, had grown accustomed to the Saurian language, and could make out the kind Nodosaurus's words as _There you go, Miss Krystal. Relax. Enjoy your night! _The blue vixen gave a small nod and a big smile in return. "Kxudbj, Mutum." She then embraced the dinosaur's scaly neck in an evident display of affection, then contracted her arms and lifted up her small knapsack and leopard skin towel and walked into the unlit clearing. Where or how the Thorntails were able to find leopard skin, the vulpine hadn't the slightest clue, but she was grateful for the towel nonetheless, not to mention the exclusive use of their hot spring. The Thorntails were truly the most hospitable bunch on the face of the planet, which, as silently ashamed as she was to admit it, was why Krystal had chosen to land here for the time being, rather than the Earthwalkers' or Cloudrunners' domains. Plus, the hot springs were always nice.

Krystal found a dry log along the right side of the spring and sauntered over to it, softly placing her sack on top of it and draping her exotic towel overtop of it. Then, after a quick check around the area, she began to undress. Her telepathic abilities were telling her that there was no one around besides the elder Thorntail that was already on her way back to her home for the night, but her womanly instincts still caused her to take a look around for any peeping toms before baring it all out. First, she removed the three golden rings that kept her enormously bushy tail at bay and placed them neatly on the opposite side of the log from her sack. She then slid off her gauntlets and followed with her sandals and shin guards. She laid them all on the same side of the log as the rings, then continued removing the rest of her clothing. After once again taking a precautious look around her, she made her way to the front of the small body of water and placed the toes of her foot in to check its temperature. She didn't really need to, as the mass of bubbles and steam was evidence enough of the heat, but she still wanted to know just how hot it was before she just dove in. After a small shudder passed through her body at the water's sensation, a smile made its way across her velvety furred cheeks as she placed the bottom half of her leg up to her knee inside. It was practically boiling, just the way she liked it. Once the tread of her foot felt the slanting ground beneath, she lowered her other leg in to follow, placing both feet firmly against the ground and slowly waling her way it. She loved the feel of the blistering hot water overcoming her, wrapping her in a steamy liquid sensation that sent shivers through her skin beneath her soaking fur. As she at last fell all the way in, save the tips of her shoulders and up, she gave a small purr of enchantment and closed her eyes to the world around her. Her imagination filled in the gaps as she pictured the hot water taking her in and soothing her every muscle like a full body massage. The feeling also relaxed her mind, and she once again felt at ease, something she hadn't felt for quite some time.

After a short fraction of eternity, her mind began to wander. First she thought of simply that day. She had met practically all the Thorntails in the village in a few short hours; they truly were a friendly people that loved the sight of visitors. It was like she was some sort of celebrity for the day, and she really didn't mind it too much. Being a normal young woman, she loved the attention, but she still much preferred the solitude of her in her hot spring for the moment. She once again sighed contently as she felt a small lot of bubbles brush up against her back, adding to the rubdown sentiment that she was receiving. She needed this; she really needed this. But still, she couldn't help but wish that a certain someone was there with her...

"Fox..." she whispered to herself. She hated feeling like a lost little girl, but sometimes she just couldn't help it. Her feelings for him at times would wash her over like a tidal wave, whether she wanted them to or not. Those times were even harder to avoid when she was alone like she was now. The memory of his smiling face made her lips do the same- both corners of her lips stretched back almost as far as they could along her muzzle into a hearty smile of her own. She then erupted into a giggle as she pictured his cute, boyish grin when he became embarrassed- even though he was now twenty-eight, he still had the heart and charisma of a child. She loved the way he fell for every tease she shot at him, though she was hoping that eventually he would take advantage of them... He almost did. They were so close. What went so horribly wrong...?

Her ears began to droop at the thought of his visibly broken temper, when he could barely bear to look at her after the mission on Corneria. When he hardly glanced at her for the next three days... He was tearing her heart in two, only to smash it with those words that hacked her like a chainsaw, "_...then I don't want you to be a part of my life._" She couldn't take the thought of that situation any longer, but as hard as she tried to shake the image from her head, it remained like a pesky itch that couldn't be scratched out. Her relaxing night at the spring was beginning to deteriorate before her, but she wasn't about to simply roll over and let that happen. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the warm sensation enveloping her dainty body, the lovely humming of all the nearby crickets, the faint, shimmering glow of the three red torches through her closed eyes, the... approaching person in distress?

Krystal's eyes shot open as she felt the presence of someone drawing near. She could feel their heart racing, but her heart seemed to double its speed within the completely nude vixen's body. As she turned to face the incoming intruder with an arm placed tightly against her exposed breasts, she heard the rumble of a galloping Styracosaurus- Prince Tricky.

"Kryst- Whoa!" The Earthwalker Prince slammed to a stop as he cleared the wall of trees that separated the small hot spring from the rest of Thorntail Hollow. A blush overcame his scaly cheeks as he turned away from the submerged blue vixen who had disgust painted all over her face. "Ah, geeze, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"

"Tricky, what do you want?" Her reply was blunt and slightly agitated. Her sapphire orbs were penetrating and menacing, the death glare that only a woman could give; those orbs weren't the ones that Tricky was wanting to pay attention to, however.

"Uh, well, um... I was in the neighborhood, over by Snowhorn Wastes, when I heard that an Arwing had landed here this morning. I, er... thought it might be you or Fox and came over to say hey!" He was trying really hard to keep his eyes locked with hers and nothing else. He couldn't help but be a little distracted while he spoke, however.

"Hey," she said with a small hint of sarcasm. "Tricky, can you give me a moment to get dressed? _Then _we can talk."

-----

"Wow," was all that escaped Bill's mouth as he beheld the enigma that was James McCloud. "I thought you were dead." His voice was husky with a bit of a twain added in, giving him the appearance of a rebellious adolescent.

"Nah, only halfway," was James's derisive remark. He followed it up with his usual fatherly laugh and patted Bill on the back.

"But how'd you escape Venom?" The same thought had been on Fox's mind, but the abrupt intrusion of Star Wolf had put his questions on hold. Both younger pilots looked intently at the graying fox between them as they walked in a line down the chrome corridor towards the lounging area.

"That'll be a conversation for later," James said nonchalantly, "Right now, I'm in need for some major R&R. You boys are just lucky you're still young!" Bill gave a small snigger at James's answer, but Fox wasn't so easy on him. He stared at his father with the determined eyes of a dog on the hunt for a fox; an elder, mercenary fox.

"Why can't you just tell us now?" he shot unsympathetically. "You've been gone for well over a decade and all this time everyone thought you were dead. Why does it have to wait?"

James's pace slowed for an instant as he gawked at his son through his thick sunglasses following his outburst. He regained his charisma only an instant after, however, and his grin returned with flying colors across his muzzle. "Well, if it's really that important to you..." He hesitated for a moment, only to add dramatic effect. Fox only became more agitated. "Alright. Here's the scoop. As you both already know, General Pepper sent my team to Venom to investigate Andross's workings in the area. It was only meant to be a routine surveillance mission- get in there, find what you need, get out. But Pigma, that dirty swine, turned traitor on me and Peppy." His voice was turning into a growl now as he continued, the memories flooding back into his mind as if they had just happened.

"He sold out against us, saying that our honest mercenary work wasn't making him enough money. For the sake of a huge bounty on my head, he had informed Andross that we were on our way. Once we came to Venom's surface, we were ambushed by the gorilla's newly acquired Star Wolf team. Now, had it been three on three, we would've kicked their sorry butts right out of the sky. But then, Pigma started firing on me. I had no idea what was going on, and before I knew it, my shields were down and I was getting pelted on from all sides."

"Well, we know that much," Bill shyly interrupted, "but how'd you survive?"

James remained in his serious tone, his cocky grin now seeming to be but a faint and distant memory. "Well, before I was actually shot down, the group split into sets of two, Wolf and Pigma going for me, Oikonni and Leon going after Peppy." He now began to use hand motions to reenact the scenario, like a grandfather telling a story. "Before they were able to shoot me down, I swooped in behind the two on Peppy's tail and fired my last nova bomb in between them. It detonated on Andrew's left wing, which wasn't too far from Leon's ship. That knocked 'em both out of the way and left Andrew worthless since he could barely fly.

"Well, Leon was pissed and I still had Wolf and that double-crosser on my tail, but Peppy was getting home safe. After that, I couldn't do much more than move around like a frantic, headless chicken before they finally brought me down. They did, and my Arwing crashed against the planet and exploded."

"You survived the explosion?" Fox asked, following the role of an enthusiastically listening grandchild as they continued to walk.

"Yeah, somehow. The explosion itself only took out the back end of my ship, but the cockpit stayed in one piece. Star Wolf let me be, thinking I could die that easily, and went to collect their bounty for my death. I got out and tried to contact Corneria, but the toxic atmosphere of Venom cut off my transmission. I was alone. I wandered around that hell of a desert for a good day or two till I finally found one of their bases hidden along the edge of a valley. I snuck inside and tried to steal one of their fighters to escape, but apparently Andross knew I was coming..."

"What happened?" Bill inquired, urging the old man on.

"He was waiting for me in the docking bay. He was a hell of a lot bigger than I expected, and he later told me that it was all due to his own molecular regeneration he had induced on himself. The man was a genius to pull that off, but he was mad."

"A huge gorilla head with floating hands..." Fox reminisced out loud. James simply nodded.

"Yeah. Though it didn't go completely according to plan, since he didn't have his whole body, he was still way too much for me. Luckily, Pigma had left his Arwing in that exact port, so I could at least fight him in the air. But... He was too much. He grabbed my Arwing right out of the sky and pried me out, then took me back to his hidden laboratory on the other side of the planet."

"What'd he do to you there?" Fox and Bill both had a habit of asking questions that were already bound to get answered, but at least they were guiding the old fox along the path they wanted him to follow. They were getting their long-awaited answers at last. Bill was intrigued just because it was a normal, hero survival story, but it meant so much more to Fox. He looked up to his father; he saw him as the perfect soldier, the undeniable hero that he had always wanted to be. Now, he was alive, and he wanted to hear every detail of his daring escape.

"Oooohh, nasty stuff... He tried to experiment things on me, using different bio weapons and such against me only to cure me right before death. I wasn't actually a testee for anything; he already knew they worked. He just wanted to torment me with every sort of pain possible, all 'cause I stole the one he loved..."

"Mom?" Fox spoke hesitantly. He was once again rewarded with a nod.

"Mhmm... Vixy Reinard, the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on. But, she chose me over him, and that sealed her fate. Andross tried to boot me with a car bomb so he could have her to himself, but that morning Vixy took the car instead, since I wasn't even home." His gloved hands clenched tightly into fists as the memories of his beloved flooded back into his mind. "If I had only been there... If I hadn't been a mercenary up in space, I could've saved her..."

"Dad, there's no way you could've known that," Fox said in a comforting tone as he laid a paw on his father's shoulder. "You were only doing your job."

"Yeah, but then I should've taken her onboard the Great Fox with me. I thought she'd be in danger if she was with me, but, as it turned out, she was in more danger by being away from me. I just couldn't save her..."

The words shot through Fox like a bullet through the heart. He suddenly stopped, both of his feet planted firmly onto the ground like the roots of a tree. Thoughts of Krystal in danger on Sauria overcame him, as his ghostly expression showed. He began to imagine her being trampled by a stampede of dinosaurs, crying out his name... But he wouldn't be there. He wouldn't be there to save her.

"Dude, you okay?" Bill asked unprofessionally as he had also stopped to glance back at Fox. He and James were both staring directly at him, only about a meter ahead but also completely stopped. "You look like you've just seen a ghost." The line was rather cliché, but Fox felt like he just had. His transfixed eyes once again began to waver as he found the dumbfounded expressions of Bill and his father's faces, then turned back in the direction from which they had come.

"I've got to get to Sauria," he said softly. His voice was determined, but hushed, like he was just beginning to realize something. Bill had a quizzical look painted on his face, while James was simply trying to figure his own son out.

"But, your guys' Arwings aren't ready yet. We've still got a few more hours-" Before he could finish his sentence, the younger McCloud broke out in a full sprint down the long passageway they had come through, leaving without so much as a goodbye or thanks for his old friend or long-lost father. "Hey! Where are you going!"

"I've gotta get to Sauria!" He repeated, not glancing back over his shoulder. The boy had either gone mad or was in a real rush for something important. Bill decided he'd gone mad. James, however, started to follow his son's footsteps.

"Girl problems," he reassured Bill as he began running after the fox trotting ahead. "Wait for me, Fox!" And, with that, they were both gone, and Bill still didn't have the slightest clue what was going on.

-----

Krystal came out of her comfortable hot spring spot, now fully clothed, ferociously toweling her still sodden tail as she walked. Tricky heard the light pat of her footsteps as she approached and turned to greet her, hoping she wasn't mad. The glimmer in her dazzling beacons-for-eyes proved that she wasn't. As she removed the leopard skin drapery from her tail, she placed the sustaining rings onto the thick mass of baby blue fur one by one until they were back in their normal places. It was still incredibly dark out, but the number of torches that lit up Thorntail Hollow gave her and Tricky enough light to fairly see each other. Tricky beamed at Krystal as she sauntered up with her usual grace, and she returned with a heartwarming smile of her own.

"Sorry 'bout that back there..." Tricky said with a hint of regret in his energetic tone. Krystal waved it off with a dainty blue paw.

"Don't worry about it. You didn't mean to." As she came to his side, she and the oversized Earthwalker began walking back into the heart of Thorntail Hollow. He was a large, four-legged dinosaur with a purplish-pink shade of scaly, rock hard skin and a golden yellow underside. His tail extended far out behind him, wagging about like a happy dog ready to receive a treat. His nose extended into a decent-sized white horn curving upwards, and his boney forehead flattened out into a curve of its own above his large, playful green eyes. Krystal gave him a look-over as she tried to remember back when he was even smaller than she, yet it was rather difficult to fathom with him being a full-grown adult now. "I see you've really improved on your Cornerian," Krystal applauded.

"Yeah, I've really been boning up on it in sessions," he replied shyly. "I wanna be able to talk to you guys without using any translators and stuff... Well, other than you, of course," he added.

"Ak'j uchawxk," Krystal replied in his native language, bringing a chuckle out of both her and her large friend.

Tricky broke the laughter with the question he'd been wanting to ask from the start, "Where's Fox? I thought you two were coming here for your honeymoon?" He was expecting laughter to follow, but something else came instead. The prince could immediately feel the awkward silence that followed his question, and, after seeing Krystal's normally glistening eyes fall into a dead stare towards the ground, he knew he'd said the wrong thing. "Oh... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Krystal said with a counterfeit smile, "We're just having some problems, that's all. I needed to come home for a little while." Those words sounded so strange to her, and yet they came from her own mouth. _I needed to come... **home**... _She knew this wasn't her home; her home had been destroyed, and she had abandoned her new home for the time-being. Was this truly her new home? She shook off the thought as quickly as it had come, then wasted no time in changing the subject. She could sense some sort of agony within the Earthwalker Prince's mind. "Tricky, what's wrong? You came running to me earlier like you needed something."

"Oh, right..." Tricky fell back into a state of apparent agony as he looked away from Krystal for a moment. When his gaze returned, his eyes lost their playfulness altogether. "Dad said that some of the Sharpclaw are trying to make a return, the ones still loyal to General Scales's ideals. But they aren't dumb enough to try and split the planet apart again, no way. Instead, they're trying to revive Scales with the Krazoa Spirits, kinda like how that jerk Andross came back..."

"Scales?" Krystal repeated as if for confirmation. She received a slow nod. "Well, have they released the Krazoa Spirits yet?"

"Just one. It's weird. When we heard that they were trying to release the Krazoa Spirits, we went straight to the Krazoa Palace to see if they were all gone. Only one was; the other six were still safe in their shrines."

Krystal's face scrunched in thought as she tried to figure out to some degree what the Sharpclaw were doing, but she silently dismissed it as them being thick-headed as usual. The Sharpclaw weren't exactly the brightest bunch; they were just strong, humanoid dinosaur meatheads. "Which Spirit was missing?"

"We weren't able to tell where it went, but the Sharpclaw gang was last seen heading through Moon Mountain Pass just this morning. I was on my way there when I heard about the Arwing, and, well, here I am." He chortled a tad under his breath, but continued, "Dad's gonna be on his way tomorrow with an entire squad of the best Earthwalker fighters, but I wanted to go ahead make sure that they were still there. I don't think they're gonna be there for long before they start packing up and moving again."

"You're right," Krystal agreed. "Well, we can still make it there before daybreak; it's not that far."

Tricky nodded violently, making himself look like a bobble head in an off-road vehicle. "Yeah, yeah! A couple hours at worst." He then stopped and lowered his front legs so that his jaw was skimming the waving grass below. "Hop on!"

Krystal was about to say something of a modest tone, but how could she dare refuse such as offer? A free ride on the back of royalty- it couldn't get too much better than that. Besides, she could rest a little more before she got into any sort of Sharpclaw bashing. Making sure her items, including her new towel, were secure in her little knapsack, she swung the bag over her shoulder and hopped onto Tricky's tree-trunk-thick neck and straddled without any opposition, then felt herself be carried gently upward as he lifted his head back to its original position. She grabbed onto the Styracosaurus's boney forehead for support as he began trudging forward, picking up speed as he went.

"Here we go!" the young Earthwalker said excitedly as his walk became a gallop through the dead of night. Krystal laughed at his boyish enthusiasm as they raced forward, and, for a moment, she had completely forgotten about her past experiences in the safe livings of Great Fox...

Meanwhile, nearby, two glowing, golden orbs followed the duo's motions from behind a crowd of bushes. The dark figure to whom the piercing orbs belonged licked his lips menacingly as he watched. "Run, run, little foxy... You'll soon be all mine."

-----

Wow, I got this one done in a hurry, eh? Well, good news: I'm off work the nest two days. So, hopefully, I'll be bale to add up another chapter before I work 8hrs. on Thursday. I'll try, anyways. I still hope you're enjoying the story, and I'd really love some feedback from you on what you think of it so far. Anything confusing you, or maybe you just think it's crap? Let me know.

...Although hopefullyyou don't think it'scrap.


	7. The Pure of Heart

**Disclaimer: **Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

**-----**

**The Shards of a Broken Krystal – **by Staindgrey

**Chapter VII – The Pure of Heart**

**-----**

"Fox!" the elder vulpine huffed as he finally made his way to the port of the Katina base. As he came within view of his son, he leaned heavily against the doorway he was standing in, his arm held high above his head and latching to the wall in hopes of keeping himself from collapsing onto the ground below. Half of the display was for show, hoping to guilt his son for making him run after him, but he really was getting up there in years. Fox didn't budge; he either hadn't heard him or didn't care, and James didn't like either reason. He let go of the doorway and walked closer to him, shouting, "Fox!"

Fox turned away from his Arwing, however slightly, to face the familiar voice coming from behind him. The younger fox's emerald eyes were at the peak of determination; something had taken a hold of him back in the hallway a few moments prior, though James wasn't sure what it was. He considered the fact that he had possibly turned insane, although that was a tad unlikely. With a curt, monotone response, he answered, "What, Dad?"

"I don't know what's gotten into you," he began, closing the distance between them, "but what are you doing? Your Arwing isn't repaired yet."

"The wing's already been replaced; that's enough to get airborne," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I don't need my shields reestablished just to get back to Great Fox."

"And what if that creep O'Donnell's waiting for you out there?" James pointed out.

Fox showed how little he cared for the statement as he turned away and began climbing aboard his vehicle while he spoke, "That's unlikely. It's not Wolf's style." He pulled himself up into the cockpit and dropped himself in, wasting no time in checking some gages and starting the engine.

"Fox, you're reckless, you know that?" James called from below as the shrill of the engine picked up.

"And you weren't?" he shot back without a glance. "I'm just going to rendezvous with Great Fox while it's still on course so we don't lose any time on the way to Sauria."

"We?" James questioned with an arching eyebrow extending over his broad glasses.

Fox nodded. "I'd appreciate it if you came along for the ride. Maybe you can finally meet one of my teammates."

"You mean the one you're head-over-heels for?" James said with a grin. Fox returned the smirk as his cockpit window began to close overtop of him.

"Possibly." It was his last word before the glass enclosed and locked him in. He gave a small wave to his father down below before he kicked in the engines, levitating the ship about five meters above the ground before blasting out through the open doorway at the front of the port at top speed. James felt the rush of wind ruffling his clothes through his crossed arms, then adjusted his sunglasses back into place and casually headed towards his Arwing a short distance away. As he approached the craft, however, a small Bichon Frise turned from his stationed computer and blocked his way.

"Sir!" The little, fluffy dog's voice was high and squeaky, not to mention far too shaky to command the likes of James McCloud. "You can't use it yet! We still have repairs left to-"

"It can fly," James calmly interjected while lightly pushing through the white furball to get to his ship. The Bichon continued, however, despite him.

"But sir, the control system is completely ruined! I don't know how you managed to pilot it in that condition. There were two gaping holes that seemed to have been created using some sort of purple, acidic compound. I don't advise-"

"You think too much," James retorted as he smoothly entered his cockpit and latched his safety harness. Not bothering to listen to anymore of the little, white dog's rambling, he latched the glass cover shut and started his Arwing, proceeding to exit in the same fashion the younger McCloud had earlier. With a brilliant blue flash, the old vulpine was gone, leaving behind a very confused pup with his tail tucked between his legs.

-----

Night enclosed the feral landscape of Sauria like a blanket, hindering the eyesight of the majority of its inhabitants, save the small diamonds of light in the sky and a gorgeously full moon high above. The ground itself in this area resembled the moon high above, with oddly-configured igneous rock making up its entirety. The walls surrounding the paths of the area were jagged and arching this way and that, resembling an attempt at making a valley by a toddler with play-dough. Unsystematic bursts of a strange green smoke came from all around in small tufts, giving the region even more of an eerie mystique. Bunched along one of the serrated walls of the main path were about thirty Sharpclaw, give or take a few, the majority of which were fast asleep, clad in armor and all. Surrounding the group on its three corners were officers on watch, though they were beginning to feel the need for sleep overcome them. It had been a long trek from their homeland to the Krazoa palace and then down here, and it was beginning to get to even the most dedicated ones of the group.

Meanwhile, along the outskirts of the path was an odd couple watching the tranquil bunch of ruffians. Their heads were poked around the corner of the eastern wall of the path, one small and furred, the other large, boney, and overbearing. After taking in the surroundings of what lay ahead, they brought themselves back around the corner, then began their quiet planning.

"I count twenty-eight thought patterns," Krystal started with the whisper of a mouse. Tricky nodded in confirmation.

"Twenty-eight. Right. That's..." Krystal didn't have to be telepathic to realize that he was trying desperately hard to configure that into his own language. With a slight, playful roll of her eyes, she translated it for him.

"Knodko-oawxk."

"Oh, okay. Yeah." Tricky thought again for a moment, trying to estimate just how hard of a battle it would be for him and Krystal alone. "Well, if we split it up and took... Shoot..." He looked at the ground as he counted slowly in his head in Cornerian, then continued, "Oh, fourteen each, then..."

Krystal interrupted with a faint giggle, trying not to let herself be heard by the Sharpclaw guards stationed not too far away. "Tricky, we're not going to take them on by ourselves. Your father can handle that on his own at daybreak. What we need to do is get to the Krazoa Shrine down the road without being detected." She then took another glance around the corner and surveyed the group once more, then proceeded to speak back to Tricky while she did. "I don't understand what they're waiting for. The shrine is only a short distance away and yet they're setting camp here and waiting for morning. Why wouldn't they go for the Krazoa now...?" She was more thinking out loud than asking Tricky for answers. Krystal was a telepath, but not a perfect one. She could sense the emotions of a nearby person, but she couldn't read their thoughts like a book. She couldn't simply dive into one of the thugs' heads and determine what they were planning; most of them were asleep anyway, leaving only dreams and nightmares for her to sense. The guards were thinking of nothing more than ways of staying awake, and would casually begin talking to one another in their native language. Krystal couldn't tell if there was anyone up ahead, it was too far, but her instincts were telling her that that was their plan. But, could they really do anything without a pure heart...?

"Krystal?" she heard from behind her. She snapped out of her daze and turned back to Tricky standing idly behind her. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing. It's just... How are they planning to get the Krazoa out of the shrine? One must be pure of heart to enter it in the first place."

Tricky gave the best attempt at a shrug that a four-legged creature could. "Maybe they didn't think that far ahead?" he mused. "Heh, they aren't exactly known for their brains, ya know," he added with a chuckle.

"Yes, but..." Krystal still couldn't help but think that something else was up, but she didn't have the slightest idea what it could be. "Call it a woman's intuition. They may not be brilliant but they're smart enough to know that they can't release a Krazoa Spirit with the intention of conquering Sauria. Perhaps it's a trap to bring your father here...?"

Tricky violently shook his head. "No way. Even if it was, my dad would cream their sorry tails like they were nothing. I know he would."

Krystal gave him an 'okay, little boy' look and turned back around to look over the group ahead. They still lay there, motionless. There were only a couple short hours before the sun would begin to rise, and standing here watching them wasn't helping their cause at all. Krystal thought for a moment, then once again turned back to the Earthwalker Prince with the demeanor of a Star Fox operative. "I'm going ahead to get the Krazoa Spirit. There may be a few more Sharpclaw there, but I should be able to handle them on my own. You stay here and wait for your father. Keep an eye on these guys, but don't let yourself get caught, understood?" Tricky nodded his head enthusiastically. "Good." With her last statement she began to look over her surroundings for some sort of branch to climb, preferably from one of the moon seeds native of the area. It was a little hard to find in the darkness, but her adjusted eyes found exactly what they were looking for along the wall they were hiding behind about twenty meters down. With a smile gracing her muzzle, she left her companion behind with a quick, "Be careful, Tricky," and jogged on towards the trailing plant.

The uncanny plant was tall enough to reach the very top of the rocky wall, and had a glowing purple seed still visible at its root. She grabbed one of the leafy vines, which was surprisingly cold to the touch, and pulled herself up far enough to put a foot on another adjacent vine. She then pulled up again with her opposite arm, and continued the motion until her paws felt the cool sensation of the moon-esque rock above. She pulled herself up onto the ledge with a small, feminine grunt and proceeded to walk down the ledge, keeping a small distance between her and the rickety wooden fence along the outside.

As she rounded the corner where Tricky was located down below, she glanced down towards him to see that he was beaming back. She gave him a confident wink and continued on. As she came into the view of the front guard, she crouched down onto all fours, tucking her large, bushy tail between her legs and up against her tummy as she kept herself concealed behind the old fence. She stayed as silent as possible, remembering the stealth tactics she had learned from Fox back during her mercenary training. _Fox... _he unexpectedly popped back into her head like a sudden, vicious rush of wind, but she shook her head fiercely as if to try and shake his image out of it like quarters from a piggybank. _Not now, Krystal, _she reminded herself. Forcing herself to concentrate on the task at hand, she continued on, keeping her steps light and quick before the guards could notice she was there. She didn't have to worry too much about them; they seemed more bored and unneeded than intent on finding intruders. She passed the clearing with ease and made her way to the next break in the fence, where a moon seed plant was conveniently located. She gracefully threw her legs over the ledge, her feet catching two sturdy vines while her paws held on tightly to the solid ground above. She then advanced down the stretch of vines in the same way she's climbed them before, all the while refusing to make a detectable sound. With a sly grin from her own crafty accomplishment, she looked back at the remote group of Sharpclaw, then continued along the open path towards the Krazoa Shrine. She still couldn't sense any thought patterns whatsoever in the area, but she kept silent just in case. Like she had said earlier, the Sharpclaw weren't stupid. They had something cooking, she just had no idea what it could be. Regardless, though, she had to get to that Krazoa first; then she could take it back to the Palace where it belonged.

-----

"Rob, how long until we reach Sauria's airspace?"

"Approximately eight hours and thirty minutes," Rob estimated while looking over the computer screen at his hands.

"What course are we taking?" Fox asked, his paw rubbing slowly against his muzzle in thought.

"We are crossing between Sector Z and Venom, through what was once Area 6 for Andross's defense fleet," the robot responded.

Fox was just across the room from him, sitting straight up in his commander's chair and looking off in no particular direction. His father, James, was standing silently against the wall near the entrance, his opaque black glasses neither proving nor disproving that he was dozing off. Fox took a moment to think, then answered Rob's response with a question, "What if we cut through Sector Z? How much will that decrease our arrival time?"

Rob made a few calculations then replied, "That course would decrease the distance by twenty-two percent. Approximate arrival time: seven hours and three minutes."

"Good. Take that course instead," Fox ordered.

"Affirmative."

"You sure that's a wise idea?" Fox's ear twitched a little at the sound of his once silent father across the room. "Sector Z is known for ambushes. Crooks like to hide in the clouds of stardust there and intercept anyone who happens to pass through." His son turned his blank gaze towards him, taking in the image of James McCloud with almost as much wonder as the first time he laid eyes on him only a few hours prior. It was still a marvel to him how his father had survived, and despite everything that was going on, just the sight of him made the fox warm up inside. His keen expression abruptly turned into one of a commander, however, as he gave the elder fox his stern reply.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take if it'll cut down the time to get there. Besides, I'm pretty sure the Great Fox can handle a few waylaying bandits."

James smirked slightly as he made his way towards Fox with his arms still folded. "You're really head-over-heels for this girl, aren't you?" Fox's superior demeanor vanished at his words, which gave James quite a bit of amusement. His grin only widened as he tried to suppress a laugh. "You don't have to hide this stuff from me, ya know. You can't, anyway. I can see through you like a plastic baggie." He finally found the empty chair next to his son- the one usually intended for Krystal- and took a seat. "Now, spill."

"Well, what is there to spill?" Fox asked innocently. The topic of girls was never his forte, especially since he hadn't had these father-son talks while James was gone. He thought it sad, really, that he was going on thirty and yet only had one girlfriend to his name, and that was back in his days at the academy. Fara Phoenix... She was quite a gal, but not the same as Krystal...

"Let's start off with how you even met this girl. I've been gone for awhile, Fox, you need to catch me up to date."

"Alright, um... Well, Sauria, the planet we're heading for, was breaking apart. It was a weird phenomenon, and Pepper sent us over to check it out. I went down to the surface to try and find the source of the problem, and I did. Some guy named General Scales was breaking apart the planet to rule over it, yada yada yada... Anyway, when I was busy trying to find these 'spell stones' to bring the planet back together, I heard the cries of this girl in trouble-"

"And that was her?" James interrupted.

Fox gave him a cold glare for his disruption, then answered, "Yes."

"Ahhh, I see," James said with a slow nod and an even wider smirk spread across his muzzle. "So, long story short, you went in to save her and now she loves her hero, right?"

"Uhh... It's a little more complicated than that," Fox responded with a bit of irritation in his voice. "You see, she was trapped in this... crystal thing."

"And her name's Krystal?" James pointed out with a laugh. Fox merely rolled his eyes and continued.

"Yeah, so I encountered this spirit thing that told me I had to bring back all these 'Krazoa Spirits' that kept peace on the planet. Once I did that, she'd be free."

"And so you freed her?"

"Yeah. But, as it turned out, the entire thing was Andross's ploy to try and revive himself using the Krazoa Spirits. I had no idea they could do that."

"Andross?" James questioned, his brow visibly narrowing at the sound of his name. Fox nodded.

"Yeah. He came back in his overgrown state again and I had to fight him all over again in my Arwing. But, it was way behind on repairs since we lacked a lot of funds, and he was actually getting the upper hand on me. That's when Falco came in out of nowhere- he quit the team a few years before to go on some 'personal business'- and helped me destroy that ape once and for all."

James slowly nodded his head as he took all of it in, holding his head up with his paws and his elbows against his knees in a hunching fashion. "Alright, well that's good that he's finally met his maker. But back to the girl..." He sat back up to an upright position as he continued the interrogation, "Is she even a Fox? Or have you fallen for some dinosaur?"

Fox nearly fell out of his chair at the comment. "Whoa! Whoa! Don't worry, Dad, she's no dinosaur. Quite the opposite, actually..." He began to reminisce on the image of her elegant, beautiful body for a moment. "She's a fox, a gorgeous one at that. But she's got blue fur. She's part of an alien race from another system; she's the last of her kind."

James's head was titled now like that of a confused pup. "Wait, you fell in love with an alien? Isn't that worse than a dinosaur?"

"Dad!" Fox chided, "She's not what you're picturing, I can guarantee that. Just wait till you see her; you'll see what I mean."

"Alright, alright, I got it. So... Why did she suddenly up and leave, anyway? I thought you said you guys were in love?"

"Wait, I never..." Fox tried to remember if he had said that or not, but merely pushed it away and carried on. "Whatever. We cared for each other, but... I had a little trouble showing it at times. I couldn't mix my personal agenda with business, ya know?"

"Fox," James started with a brusque tone, "you've got to learn that love, at least in its truest form, isn't something you can simply brush away and let sit while you go out and do your job. It's something to cherish, something that should never come in second no matter what the situation. True, on the battlefield you never want it to cloud your judgment, but to use the excuse that you couldn't make time for it because of business, well..." He looked deep into Fox's emerald green eyes for a second before finishing, "...that's just childish. I'm sorry I couldn't be here to teach you that."

Fox was speechless. Every inch of his mind tried to come up with some sort of rebuttal, but nothing came. His father was dead-on, and it was something he should have already known but never took the time to realize. All of this, the entire situation, it was his fault, all because he was too immature to accept his feelings for Krystal without getting nervous and running away. There was no doubt that Krystal would be risking her life by being at his side, but it was all she wanted, all that she was trying to do for the past two years. And throughout the entire time that Fox simply pushed her away, she stayed with him, waiting for the time when he would at last open up and do something about it. She had been waiting so long for him... And he sent her away.

Their last conversation began to replay in his head as clearly as a cinema:

"_But Krystal, you risk your life every second you're aboard this ship. We could be attacked anytime, anywhere and by anyone. Every mission we go on, I fear for your safety. There's no use in someone like you risking your life so much."_

"_But I risk it to be at your side! I know very well what dangers I face, but I do it anyway, because this is where I want to be. This is where I belong."_

"_This is where I belong..." _Those words practically screamed inside Fox's head over and over and over again. He couldn't get rid of them. He could now see her, sitting directly in front of him, on the verge of crying and tearing his heart open with her teary gaze. Her sapphire eyes were searching his for some sort of reason for him breaking her heart, and yet... there was none. He was being stupid and immature, and he was shattering both of their hearts to pieces with his mistake. She continued pleading, _"This is where I belong... with you, Fox..."_

"Fox," James said while placing a paw firmly on his son's shoulder, pulling him out of his trance. "Don't worry so much. Everything will be fine. If she cares for you as much as you say she does, then one little mistake on your part isn't going to chase her away that easily. The question is, are you ready to finally ready to step up and be her man?" He obviously didn't expect a spoken answer to the question as he stood to his feet and continued, "I love you, son, and I'll always be proud of you, no matter what. Now, I'm not saying that this girl is definitely 'the one', but by the way you're so eager to chase her to Sauria like this, I can tell she means a _lot _to you. We'll get there in time, don't worry, and when we do, you can go straight to the surface and find her. I'll keep watch up here in Great Fox in case anything happens. For now, though..." he gestured for Fox to get up, so he did. "...you've gotta get some rest. You look exhausted. Go get some shut eye. Rob will wake us when we arrive, right Rob?"

Rob turned his monitors up from the coordinates screen and towards the questioning fox, then replied, "Affirmative."

-----

Krystal was a bit surprised to find that no one was even in the general area surrounding the shrine entrance. Maybe the Sharpclaw really were a little on the dumb side. Or perhaps, she mused, they had tried to enter the shrine and found that they couldn't, and now they were simply hanging around while they tried to figure out what to do. The thought of such ignorance amused the vixen, as was shown by her soft giggle that almost echoed in the dead silence of night. With that, she stepped onto the entrance gate, a fairly large, glowing platform with complicated metal engravings that swirled about in an elaborate fashion. Above her was an identical radiant circle that helped to illuminate her cobalt-furred body like a beacon amidst the shadow of darkness surrounding her. She stretched her arms out to either side, closed her eyes and let her head fall back so it faced the upper circle, then let herself be swept away by the Krazoa's energy.

It was a rush like no other as she once again felt her body evaporate for a moment in a flash of blue light. She was weightless for that short fraction of eternity, feeling nothing at all hindering her mind or soul. Her eyes were closed, and yet she felt as though she could see everything. The image of the shrine entrance and the Moon Mountain Pass outside swirled around her like ingredients in a blender, gradually forming into the shape of the Krazoa Shrine. The dark blacks and blues transformed into a fiery orange as she was now surrounded by aged brick walls. She felt her feet once again as they touched what felt like the exact same platform she had just been standing on, but it was in a completely different location. She opened her eyes again and beheld the shrine and all of its majestic, red beauty, then leisurely stepped off of the glowing, white platform and onto the brick path before her.

"Hmmm," she thought aloud, "it seems to be a lot like the first one I visited so long ago..." She sauntered in with her usual feminine step, swaying her casually clad hips from side to side as she walked down the hallway, looking over every piece of it with her sapphire eyes. Torches lit the area for her to see, their flames dancing around the wick as if in celebration. She made her way to the end of the hallway and found an insanely tall ladder to which she couldn't even find the top. An unconscious, "Wow..." left her mouth as she observed it, her eyes growing at its sheer size. She had seen one before in her first visit to a Krazoa Shrine, but the utter length of the ladder still caught her off guard. "Well, here we go!" she told herself as she made sure the straps of her bag were secured tightly over her shoulders and began climbing up the oversized piece of lumber.

She went up it heedlessly, her mind beginning to drift as the constant, redundant steps began to bore her. Seeing as to how there was no opposition here besides the normal traps of a Krazoa Shrine, there was no need for rush. The Sharpclaw couldn't come in, and she had all the time in the world to get the Krazoa Spirit and take it back to the Palace. She began to hum a simple lullaby she remembered from her home world of Cerinia. It was a sweet sounding melody, and the extravagance of the vixen's voice only added to its splendor.

Suddenly, however, she was cut off as she sensed something nearby intent on attacking her. Without hesitation, she took her sandaled feet off of the peg they were on and grasped the outside poles of the ladder with them and her paws, then slid down a meter or two before a fire-consumed bat rammed into the section above her. It was a little dazed, but not unconscious as it flapped around violently and tried to go back up into the air for another strike at the blue vulpine. Placing her feet back on a ladder leg for better balance, she took out her trusty staff with her left paw and extended it, readying it for a fire blast. She aimed steadily at the flapping bat with the opposite jeweled end of the staff resting comfortably on her shoulder, then, with a small pull of the extended part, released a ball of red energy which slammed easily into the fiery bat and knocked it upward, only for it to fall back down towards her lifelessly. He quickly kicked off the ladder with her left foot, pulling her body out of harms way but still clinging onto it with her right paw. She watched as the bat hit the ground far below with a thud, then retracted her staff and placed it back in her bag, continuing on up.

"Krystal, you need to be more careful," she reminded herself. "Don't get careless in here. Your life is still at stake." At last, she reached the top of the ladder and pulled herself up onto the stony surface there. Once she was up on two feet, she beheld the long room before her. Just in front of her was an extensive pool of water with small whirlpools swirling about on its surface. Beyond that was a tiny, winding path that occasionally spat out fire from beneath it, lighting up the room with the ferocity of Solar before finally vanishing back beneath the surface. At the very end of the corridor was a gate that had just begun to close, taking its sweet time as if to taunt the vixen. She had to make it through that doorway before it closed, or else be stuck here for good.

"Alright, here we go!" Krystal shouted as she leapt into the pool before her without hesitation. She had little time to waste debating how to go about getting past these obstacles, so she just went ahead and jumped in. She dove in between the front two swirls, but at an angle pointing to the left, as to avoid the third one up ahead in the middle. She broke the water's surface gracefully, cutting through it like a hot knife through butter. But as she entered, she could feel herself being pulled by the multiple currents; she had to hurry through and get out of there. Holding her breath, she pushed forward and to the left, trying to swerve around the whirlpool to her right. It tried to pull her in, but she was able to get past without too much effort. She then felt herself being pulled forward, directly towards another vortex. She adjusted herself in the water and placed her feet firmly against the left wall, kicking off of it with all the strength she could muster and passing the whirlpool with evident ease. She did the same for the next two underwater tornados, finally making her way to the opposite wall. Still being pulled backward by the strong current, she grabbed onto the stone ground and yanked her body out of the water, hurriedly getting back to a standing position and shaking off the water from her fur the best she could. She then realized that her bag was now soaked, including her spare clothing. She cursed her carelessness in her mind, but continued on towards the next obstacle.

The gate was about halfway down now, but she could already see the luminous, magenta Krazoa Spirit held within. Not letting the sight of the prize distract her, she looked down at the fragile path held over what seemed to be an endless black abyss. Again, a spout of fire erupted from the darkness, passing through a small metal frame in the middle of the path. Krystal noticed there were only two other such metal casings along it, and noted aloud, "Those must be where the fire passes through. Gotta avoid those..." Without wasting another moment's time, she carefully walked out onto the foot-wide path one foot at a time, making her way towards the burnt metal frame and stopping just before it. As she had thought, within seconds the long stream of fire erupted from beneath the frame, practically singing her fur from its short distance away as it passed. She winced and shut her eyes as it passed, its heat radiating like an exploding star right before her. As the flame passed, Krystal wasted no time in walking across the metal opening and continuing on down the path. She held out her arms horizontally to help keep her balance as she walked carefully along the curves and bumps in the path, not wanting to find out what was actually down there in that black void.

After passing the other two fire holes and getting back onto solid ground, she once again become conscious of the rapidly closing iron gate, which was now less than a foot away from spiking into the ground. The constant _clink! clink! clink! _alerted her of the immediate need to get under it, and so she hurried to do so. Flipping her sodden bag off of her shoulders and into her right paw, she threw it downward, sliding it stylishly underneath the falling iron fence. Following through on her own momentum, she kicked forward, letting her upper body fall back and almost touch the bricked ground as she just passed under it, feet first. She came to a stop on the other side, sitting up on her rump and pushing herself back up to her feet. She grabbed her knapsack and threw it back over her shoulders, still unable to shake the cold wetness it brought to her bare back. Within moments, she heard the clang of metal against rock as the gate closed behind her, leaving only her and the floating Krazoa Spirit ahead in the room. She strolled up towards it with the same attractive sway as usual, a smile gracing her lips and a twinkle coming from her eyes as she did.

The Krazoa Spirit itself was something to behold. It was a translucent, luminous creature that was surrounded in a mystic, pink aura. It resembled a floating head with long strands of hair blowing directly back with an imaginary wind, yet its features were far too ambiguous to make out. As Krystal approached, a hushed voice called out to her from what seemed to be every wall in the room, yet it was far too quiet to be so. Whether it was speaking telepathically to her or really was whispering in her ear, she was unsure, but either way, she understood its Saurian tongue and could hear it just enough to know what it was saying. "Kxaj aj kxo kojk ev semruk. Tovouk kxojo kod Sharpclaw ad u jfedtu, udt a um oeihj."

_This is the test of combat. Defeat these ten Sharpclaw in a jfedtu, and I am yours. _Krystal recalled that a jfedtu was a short span of time on Sauria, spanning only about two minutes or less; she couldn't remember exactly. Regardless, that wasn't a whole lot of time, and ten fully armored Sharpclaw was no easy task. With a stern nod, she whipped out her Cerinian staff and extended it, holding it firmly in both paws. "A um houto."

With that, the Krazoa vanished, and in the same instant, Krystal found herself surrounded by ten Sharpclaw, all varying in size and strength. They were all larger than her, of course, but some were only slightly, whereas some were nearly twice her height. They were all clad in metal helmets and chest plates, and every single one held some sort of weapon, whether it was a club or a spiked mace. Krystal turned to face each one of them, eyeing their open jaws, carnivorous rows of teeth and glaring, red eyes with a determined glower of her own. "Semo wok jemo, reoj!"

With that, the time began, and the green scaled monsters attacked all at once, hoping to beat down the navy vixen in one swift motion. Krystal avoided the bulrush, however, as she leapt backwards in a back-flipping motion, whacking an unfortunate Sharpclaw's head as hard as she could with her staff. A loud ring filled the room as the metal vibrated violently atop his head, giving him the king of headaches as he fell to the ground. Krystal landed gracefully on her feet, staff wielded behind her and ready for attack, as she waited for her next opponent to come near.

The two Sharpclaw directly next to their fallen comrade looked back towards her, their menacing leer only growing fiercer as they began to lust for the taste of her meat. They were two of the smaller, yellow Sharpclaw, but they were a force to be reckoned with in any case. As they began to run towards her with their maces held high above their heads, Krystal whipped her staff around in front of her and grasped it firmly with both paws, holding it horizontally at her shoulder level. She then brought it against her chest and bent downward, readying herself for the hardest forward leap she could muster. Once they were close enough, she kicked off the ground with a might far surpassing a normal young woman's and clotheslined them both with her extended staff, jamming the metal pole into both of their air pipes and stopping them instantly from their run. They each fell backward, flopping onto the hard ground, unconscious. The other seven Sharpclaw were now all facing her, ready to try another bulrush. To her dismay, the eighth one that she thought she had knocked out earlier stood warily to his feet as well, holding his head in obvious pain. He turned to face his attacker with a vicious glare and snarling teeth, signaling to his teammates with a grunt and a mace pointing directly at the blue fox.

As the group began to charge at her again, all at once and in no particular fashion as Sharpclaw were accustomed to do, Krystal jammed her pole into the hard, rocky ground and twisted the top part of it, signaling for the staff's rocket boost action. The rod was then overtaken in a strange, blue light within her paws, and she grabbed a hold of it for dear life as it suddenly propelled her upwards and over the heads of her attackers, much to their surprise. As she came back down, she gave another wallop to the back of the head of the same Sharpclaw she had before, once again knocking him harshly to the floor with a huge _clang! _from his helmet. _And stay down, _Krystal thought in the back of her mind. As she landed, she wasted little time in twisting the top half of her staff in the opposite direction, confirming its freeze option. Almost instantly, a cloud of white, smoke-like substance escaped the top jewel of her staff as she swung it past the four Sharpclaw to her left. The freezing mist put all of the four warriors on ice- literally- as chunks of translucent, blue ice overcame their bodies, freezing them in place.

Before Krystal could bask in celebration, however, she felt a club bash her on her right shoulder, slamming her to the left and into the ground where she rolled over and hurriedly tried to get back to her feet. She winced and grabbed her stricken arm, feeling the knot that began to grow there in reaction to the blow. It didn't feel broken at all, but she was sure it would hurt quite a bit once all of this was over. As the three remaining Sharpclaw came after her once again, she grabbed her staff as firmly as she could with both hands and charged as well, holding it down low for a defensive strike.

Sure enough, the Sharpclaw were as predictable as ever. The front one, the last small, golden one left in the group, lifted his mace high into the air for a downward strike, just as they almost always did. Krystal responded with an upward strike with her staff, throwing her attacker's arm up and back over his head. Without wasting her momentum by stopping, she continued twisting to the left where her strike was angled. As she came around, she struck the smaller lizard in the side with the opposite end of her staff, flinging him over to the side and face first into the rock-strewn ground. She completed the spin by pulling her staff back around and striking one of the back two Sharpclaw forcefully in his armpit, smacking a main nerve there and throwing him into the other with all the force she could gather. They each fell backward, but weren't out for the count yet. While the one she had hit favored his left shoulder and grunted in pain on the ground, the other one stood back to his feet, snarling loudly as he swung downward with his spiked mace, intending on squashing the little blue fox in one huge blow. Krystal rolled to the side, keeping her staff in a guard position as she stood, then leapt away from him, hoping to gain some distance for her next maneuver.

She was never able to pull off that maneuver, however, as she suddenly felt her staff pried away from her hands by a stronger creature. She looked up with a stunned expression at the Sharpclaw she thought she'd knocked out twice, who was glaring down at her with the look of a predator about to finally consume its prey. Before Krystal could react, a large, scaly mitt latched onto her neck, lifting her from the ground with ease high above its user's head. The large, olive Sharpclaw then threw her away like a lifeless rag doll, letting her slam into the wall behind her to stop her projectile body. Air quickly forced its way out of her lungs, not allowing her to scream or even groan in pain as she fell back to the ground below her, hitting it with a thud on her side. She rubbed her neck tenderly with a paw while she tried to ignore the obvious pain in her back. She gingerly stood to her feet, wincing uncontrollably as she watched the two remaining Sharpclaw come towards her. Her staff had been carelessly tossed back behind them, and now she had no weapon to use for defense. Amidst all these problems, she didn't even know how much time was left. She had to finish these guys off and fast, or else the Krazoa Spirit would reject her. She had to prove she was capable of holding the Krazoa... She had to prove she wasn't a damsel in distress, once and for all.

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Krystal ran toward the approaching Sharpclaw in an all-out sprint. They once again raised their maces in an utterly predictable fashion. The blue vixen leapt in between them at shoulder's height as they each swiped for her, their weapons colliding at the point where she once was and sending a shockwave through each of their arms. As Krystal flew between them, she twisted her body and delivered a hard heel kick to- once again- the back of the olive one's head, this time knocking him unconscious as he fell inanimately to the ground with a loud thump. One left.

Krystal landed back on her two feet, sending a slight jolt of pain through her back as she did. She didn't stop, however, and continued forward, grabbing her trusty rod with her left paw and stopping herself to face her last opponent. He had fully turned around now, rubbing his now sore elbow from the contact his mace had made a few moments earlier. He shook it off, however, and bent down to grab his fallen comrade's weapon with his free hand. He held both up in a menacing fashion, giving a hoarse growl to intimidate the smaller blue fox. She merely smiled in return, spitting out, "Rhadw ak." _Bring it._

Finally, he charged in for the final blow, each spiked club held back behind his head for a full strength downward swipe. Krystal refused to budge as she flipped her staff back onto her shoulder, using her injured right arm only to steady her aim. She cocked back on the front part of the rod, sending a red ball of fire directly at the quickly approaching Sharpclaw, ramming him right in between the eyes and passing straight through as if it were a rock thrown through wet paper. The attacker then stopped running, slamming into the ground with a loud crash, its momentum causing it to slide down to Krystal's feet and stop there. The sapphire vixen then retracted her staff, sliding it smoothly back into her backpack and resting her paws on her hips in triumphant fashion. In an instant, all the Sharpclaw vanished as abruptly as they had come, and in their place descended the bright, purple enigma that was the Krazoa Spirit. Krystal gave a small smile as she began walking towards it, knowing what was to happen next. She braced herself, and as she did, the spirit flew into her, invading her body and resting within it in one swift motion. Its soul joined her own within her body, and she levitated high above the ground for a moment as they joined together within her. In a bright blue ray of light, just like how she had entered the shrine, she disappeared, leaving the room vacant, silent, and hollow.

As she felt her feet once again touch solid ground, she knew she was back at the shrine entrance without even opening her eyes yet. She let her arms fall down to her sides effortlessly and heaved a sigh of success, feeling the strange sensation of having another being held within her. She opened her now flooded violet eyes and beheld-

"H-Hey, Krystal," a nervous Prince Tricky stammered. He stood before her just inside the opening of the small cave she was within with two menacing Sharpclaw on either side of him and even more behind him, as she could sense. The entire squad was here, all twenty-eight of them, and every single mind, save Tricky's and her own, was thinking of only one thing: vengeance.

-----

Alright, this is by far my longest chapter yet, but I didn't want to split it up into two small ones; it wouldn't fit right. Anyway, hope you're still enjoying it, and expect the next chapter... sometime. I have no idea when I'll get around to writing it, 'cause my schedule's as hectic as the story. Also, I did go over this chapter and revised it, and plan on doing so for the past few chapters as well just to make sure. But, on an unneeded side note, I plan on making a prequel, a sequel, and a side story regarding the life of James McCloud. If I can do all that, then I'll be done with my Star Fox writing and proceed on back to my unfinished Gundam Wing fic that I suddenly lost interest in (sorry, guys...)

Well, I guess that's all, thanks to all of you once again for reading (and hopefully reviewing). Adios!


	8. Fallen Angel

**Disclaimer:** Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

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**The Shards of** **a** **Broken** **Krystal** **-** by Staindgrey

**Chapter** **VIII** **–** **Fallen Angel**

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Fox couldn't sleep. It was just that simple. At his father's wish, he'd tried- he'd tried about as hard on this undemanding task as he had on any mercenary work he'd ever been assigned to. But, memories plagued him like a disease, and they only worsened when he forced his eyes closed. For this reason, his dry, emerald oculars remained open, transfixed on the ceiling above him with all the liveliness of a porcelain doll's. His body lay motionless beneath his plain, green comforter- well, parts of it anyway. His exposed left foot, right pectoral and arbitrarily outstretched arms were evidence of a tossing, turning night of conscious turmoil for the fox, every wrinkle in the wadded blanket signifying yet another agony that refused to loosen its grip on his brain. His bloodshot eyes continued to stare a hole through the chrome ceiling above as his lungs slowly breathed in the artificial atmosphere, only to heave it out in a forlorn sigh shortly after.

Inside Fox's mind, a war was raging that, to him, far surpassed any Lylatian war of his time or anyone else's. His brain was painfully multitasking between thoughts of Krystal, whether they were happy, sad, or fearful, and thoughts of his team, of his father, and of his mother. At the moment, he was beginning to lose himself in the memories of his parents and the shock of his dead father reemerging so suddenly. To him, it was too good to be true, to all of a sudden be aboard the same ship as his thought-to-be-late dad, having father-son conversations with him and flying as his wingman... It was like a dream come true, only far better than anything he had even thought of imagining. Before yesterday, when James had arrived at the Great Fox hangar with a half dead ship, Fox had never wanted to get his hopes up about his father's survival only to have them trounced. He had never let himself even suppose that James McCloud was alive; he'd convinced himself that what he saw that fateful day on Venom was nothing more than a mirage, a ghost, a vision... Something other than real. He couldn't explain what exactly the apparition was, but he absolutely refused to let himself believe that that really was the great James McCloud, his father, who saved him...

"_Never give up... Trust your instincts." _The words of the elder fox still rang in his ears as if they had just been spoken. That was always his motto, his insight on life the way he chose to live it. When Andross activated a hidden self-destruct program inside his Venom base to drag Fox down with him to the afterlife, Fox, for once, truly feared for his life. When he first came down into Venom's depths to face Emperor Oikinni alone, he didn't feel near as much apprehension as he thought he would at this do-or-die moment. Instead, his thoughts were filled with rage, hatred, and bloodlust for the gorilla that killed both of his parents. But now, after finally defeating that cold-hearted ape in even colder blood, the adrenaline high was gone, the need for revenge was lost, and fear for his life flooded the now empty gaps that they left behind. He couldn't escape in time. His Arwing was trashed. He had no shields and no teammates around to try and save him. All odds were stacked heavily against him, and for this brief moment in his life, he truly had lost all hope.

That was when he heard it: the long-forgotten voice of James McCloud, the original leader and founder of the Star Fox team and the _deceased _father of Fox himself. The ghost spoke with the diligence of a commander, the strength of a warrior, and the compassion of a father all in that short, motivational phrase: _"Don't ever give up, my son."_

"_Father...?" _was all Fox could even think of saying. The image on his monitor had to be a hallucination. He was losing his mind in some sort of end of life sequence, and he was now picturing his father who he was going to meet in heaven in just a few moments. That had to be it; it was the only rational explanation, regardless of how much his conscience wanted to retort it. But as the blinding white light of Andross's bomb began to fade, he saw it: the old-fashioned Arwing of James F. McCloud. Though it was aged and in a desperate need of a new coat of paint, it flew ahead of him like a guardian angel towards the hangar's exit, leaving behind it a stream of bright red after burn to guide his son through. As if to either taunt or encourage the bewildered, younger McCloud, James's face came back onscreen, his expression that of determination behind his standard ebony shades. _"Follow me, Fox."_

Fox followed, the fiery explosions and crumbling framework of the underground base once again alerting him that he was in life-threatening peril. Whether he was imagining this or not no longer mattered; saving his own hide was first priority. He jetted after the smaller Arwing, just able to keep up as James swerved through the winding path with all the confidence and ease of someone who had rehearsed the course many times before. Fox narrowly missed the enclosed walls himself, unable to slow down for the tight turns lest he be devoured by the incoming wall of fire behind him. As they continued on their race against death, James tried to further invigorate his son with his motto, _"Never give up... Trust your instincts," _just as Peppy had told the young fox so many times before. The words echoed inside his mind as they took full effect, pushing Fox past his limit as he flew for his life, and after his father.

At last, he could see a ray of light from Solar, outlining the Wyvern ahead of him and giving it a further impression of a guardian angel as it hung like a silhouette just before the exit. As Fox's shield gage continued going crazy, alerting him loudly of his impending doom with a thunderous, redundant siren, James's face once again came onto his monitor. His muzzle was stretched into a heartwarming smile, one of fatherly pride for his son, and with a hushed voice like the calm of the breeze amidst a storm, he spoke.

"_You've become so strong, Fox..."_

Fox gradually drifted out of the eight year old memory only to fall headfirst into another one. Before his eyes was the undeniable image of his mother, Victoria McCloud, looking down at him with emerald eyes that personified compassion. Her face was just as striking, her muzzle spread into the shape of a motherly smile along her beautiful, light tan fur as if it were painted on to perfection with the creator's own brush. Her ears were small and slender for a vixen, as were most of her other features, but all Fox could picture now was that face... the expression of complete adoration... the look that only a loving mother could give. He had not seen that face in over twenty years. How he remembered it so vividly sometimes shocked him, but he couldn't shake the image even if he wanted to. Just the same, however, he could never outrun the thoughts of her death that always seemed to follow his peaceful reminiscing of her.

He was there. He saw her body though he wasn't supposed to. She died in Dad's car after a bomb had self-detonated by the start of the engine. When he came home from school, he was greeted by flashing police and ambulance lights, military vehicles and yellow caution tape that barred the press and spectators from coming any closer. That was his home; that was where mommy was. Fox remembered dropping his bag like a dead weight as he ran through the crowd, crying out his mother's name and violently pushing away anyone who stood in his path. Tears were beginning to form at the corners of his wide, jade eyes, but they were only a prelude to the waterfalls that were to come. There was his mother, the woman who had raised him from birth and never left his side no matter what; the woman who, when daddy was gone, was there to play with him and comfort him and feed him and tuck him into bed... There she was, being covered with a white blanket by a coroner who didn't have to do much more than look at the mangled body to pronounce her dead. Almost immediately after the pallid sheet came to rest, spots of crimson bled through its pure fabric, flooding through it like a spreading disease. Fox reached out an arm and cried for her to come out, for his mommy to talk to him and once again tell him everything was okay... But instead he was pulled back by a police officer who told him to leave and that he didn't belong here, that he didn't belong here with his mommy. The young, motherless pup cried out to heaven until his vocal chords were about to snap, then continued to scream as his fur became a matted mess from his streaming tears. Another officer came to help, both now pulling him back towards the crowd and past the yellow tape. Fox kicked and yelped and sobbed like a rabid beast, but his mommy wouldn't come out. She lay there, motionless and dead, like she would be forevermore...

Finally, Fox had had it. It had been over five hours and still, he couldn't remember gaining one ounce of sleep. He shook his head violently to try and rid himself of the sudden resurgence of memories as he sat up, pushing the comforter off of him and kicking his legs off to the side of the bed. He placed his feet on the cold floor and lifted himself up with a push off the mattress, feeling his body ache a little from lack of real rest. Clad in nothing more than his undergarments, he trudged over to his closet on the other side of the room and began to fit himself for his oncoming mission. Perhaps if he could find Krystal, if he could just find her and get her to forgive him, maybe then he could return to his normal sleeping habits. But until then, he was a mess and he knew it. He'd already felt the heartbreak of losing his mother and then, allegedly, his father; he wasn't about to let himself feel that same agonizing pain again. He was going to find Krystal... or die trying.

-----

Rain had begun to pour from the sky like a shower fountain, starting with a small wave of droplets and turning into an overabundant mass of water with flashes of lightning in the distance. Krystal, feeling the storm rage both outside her body and in her heart, had been dreadfully silent on this trek to the Sharpclaw stronghold just outside the force point temple. Tricky was just as noiseless with pitiful thoughts of his own overtaking him. They were surrounded by the horde of Sharpclaw that had captured them, and they walked steadily while they were constantly bickered and pushed around by their captivators.

Each hostage had their own reason to remain quiet, but both reasons were those of shame. Krystal felt ashamed for releasing the Krazoa spirit, in a sense, for her enemies. Tricky felt even guiltier for getting caught in the first place, which brought them both here. Both prisoners' eyes were half shut and aimed at the ground, almost lifelessly. Tricky had a harness and a larger green Sharpclaw pulling it forcefully at his side. Krystal's arms were tied tightly behind her back, and her bag of belongings was currently being sorted through by a couple of the small, blue Sharpclaw at her left. She would have loved to at least attempt to fight off every one of them back at the shrine entrance, but a spear at the Earthwalker Prince's throat convinced her not to. She was now playing the role of the damsel in distress once again, just as Fox had feared she would become. _Perhaps he was right... _she thought agonizingly to herself, _Maybe I am too soft for him... _She looked to the sky with her newly violet-colored eyes and heaved a sigh, thinking, _If you saw me now, like this... what would you do, Fox?_

Her train of thought was quickly derailed by the blunt end of a club poking her in the back and a scratchy, reptilian voice snarling, "Boof nucbadw." _Keep walking. _Krystal quickened her pace a little to suffice his demand, then looked to Tricky at her right. His expression was the epitome of guilt with his once playful eyes now dead and a grimace overcoming his scaly qualities. She could sense great misery stemming from him; she could understand why. He had gone ahead of his father, the Earthwalker King, against his permission, and had now let himself get caught by the enemy. She wasn't sure if his capture was how the Sharpclaw had caught her or if they had already planned this from the start, but regardless, she was sure that was the cause of his self-inflicted pain. She wanted to reach out and pet his brow and tell him everything was going to be okay, but the knotted ropes at her wrists didn't allow her to do so.

As they continued walking, she whispered to him, "Tricky..."

"I'm sorry," was all that escaped his lips. He didn't even glance up at the vixen, too ashamed to look her in the eyes. Tricky had never been like this, at least that she had ever seen of him. She gave him a hint of a smile to try and cheer him up, though he wouldn't see it.

"It's not your fault," she attempted to console him.

"Yes it is," he barked back in a hush. "You told me to stay out of sight, but they found me. Then they went straight to the shrine and found you, and now-" Tricky's air was suddenly cut off as he felt a yank on his neck. He was pulled off of his front feet for a moment then quickly let go, giving him just enough of a jerk to shut him up.

"Jxikif," the Sharpclaw scolded in Saurian. Tricky returned his gaze to the ground and coughed, then remained silent as he was told.

They were almost to the stronghold now, as Krystal could see through the mess of raindrops that continued to beat against her eyes and snout. They were traveling up the steep path to get there, and it was now coming into full view. The place was a simple wooden shack extending between the two walls of the miniature valley, but it was sturdy enough to ward out most visitors when properly manned. The uphill path leading towards it gave it a strong advantage over any intruders. If Tricky's father could find them- which Krystal supposed that once he found no one at Moon Mountain Pass, this would be the next obvious location of the Sharpclaw- it would be an incredibly tough uphill battle for him and his troops. Krystal felt all the more mortified as she thought of the casualties that would result from her mistake; she supposed she really was no more than a damsel in distress. She was the last of her kind, a proud and dignified warrior race, and here she was, being held at the mercy of these scum like a caged dog. Adrenaline was beginning to boil inside her, but it did little good with tied up hands and a throng of Sharpclaw warriors waiting to tear her apart. She knew that she was being taken to their leader, whoever it was, and that he would try to either keep her as bait for some bigger scheme or try to use the Krazoa Spirit within her for his own purposes. She supposed the latter, but the prior was still a possibility at this point. No normal Sharpclaw could possibly scheme so far ahead, but it was possible that someone bigger was pulling the strings... The thought made Krystal mentally tremble as she pondered on who that could be.

At last, the group reached the entrance of the stronghold, and Krystal was violently pushed in, knocking her to the floor as she lost her balance. The abuser had grabbed her by her left arm, reopening the wound that had for the most part healed by now. Krystal winced as she felt the stinging sensation of fresh blood coming in contact with air, but wasted no time in pushing herself back up to her knees and then to her feet. She was soaked and wanted to shake the excess water off the best she could, but she decided against it, hoping not to aggravate the reptiles around her that held her fate in their hands. She noticed that Tricky was left outside, since he couldn't fit among the gathering of two-legged dinosaurs, and tried her best to give him a reassuring smile, but his pleading eyes left her unable to do much of anything. He was then violently yanked backward again, bringing a grunt of pain through his clenched throat as he fell backwards and out of the doorway.

The inside of the small bunch of rooms was littered with more Sharpclaw than the group that had detained her and Tricky; they were all sitting, lying down, or leaning against something in a the best state of relaxation they could find. But, at the sight of the new prisoner, they all seemed to stiffen up a bit as their eyes searched for answers as to who she was. Krystal gave a visible grimace as she continued uselessly to try and undo the knot that clasped her hands together, bringing out a snicker from most of the reptiles watching from around her. She stopped her futile efforts, however, when she heard a low growl call out of to someone in particular.

"Nxe aj kxaj?" _Who is this? _The voice came from behind Krystal, and her ears perked visibly at its sound. She slowly turned to face its source, her now violet eyes revealing themselves to him as she did.

"Kxaj aj kxo xectoh ev kxo Krazoa Spirit, jah," answered one of the nameless henchmen. Krystal didn't even notice that he had spoken as her widened eyes took in the entirety of quite possibly the largest Sharpclaw that she had ever seen. He was hunched over so that he could fit within the confines of the twelve foot tall ceiling, supporting himself with his forearms placed on his thighs and balancing on the balls of his feet. The torches lit behind him could barely been seen as they were eclipsed by his massive, muscled body, but their glow gave him a demon's essence to add to his devilish red eyes. His scales were the color of blood as well, and he was clad in an iron chest plate with spikes at the shoulders, a Sharpclaw general's golden helmet with two rising, zigzagging points on his head, and iron gauntlets that covered his entirety of his forearms up to the elbow. His large, crimson tail was wrapped around him to his right, coiled to the front of him and lying there like a weapon ready to be raised. He sneered at Krystal for a moment, then broke into a small yet thunderous titter, saying, "Hmph, A kxewxk ak neict'lo rood kxe Earthwalker Prince." _I thought it would've been the Earthwalker Prince. _He scoffed a little, eyeing the vixen before him with curiosity. He asked his henchman who she was, but he apparently didn't have much of an answer to give.

The conversation between the apparent leader and his right hand man continued for a few moments, but Krystal had stopped paying attention to them by now. The sheer size of this Sharpclaw caught her completely off guard; she supposed that he could probably take on a Red Eye all by himself and win. Why these Sharpclaw wanted to revive General Scales with a guy like this already here to lead them, she wasn't sure. Perhaps he lacked the leadership skills the old general had- but then again, Scales always had been a horrible, ruthless dictator. Finally, Krystal was addressed, and she snapped back from her arbitrary muse.

"Je," the superior began, "Oei kxadb oei julot kxo Krazoa, eh?" _You think you saved the Krazoa? _A sinister sneer lay painted upon his overly large mug as he spoke. The Sharpclaw surrounding him echoed his back-of-the-throat chuckle.

Krystal wondered what he was getting at, which was visibly shown by the cocking of her delicate, blue head. "A xulo de houjed dek ke rocaolo je," she shot back with the sound of a genuine confidence. The Sharpclaw seemed to erupt with laughter at her words: _I have no reason not to believe so._

"Veecajx cakkco wahc," the leader taunted, "oei xedojkco kxadb no nudkot ke holalo kxuk rujkuht, Scales?" The entire group fell into a roaring guffaw that seemed to shake the building, as well as Krystal's confidence. Sure, she was a little upset with the _'foolish little girl' _part, but what did he mean, _You honestly think we wanted to revive that- _something she had never heard before, but she supposed it was derogatory- _Scales?_ Krystal silently wondered what he meant. Did he have other intentions for the spirit inside her, or was the Krazoa not even needed?

She was enlightened on the subject in the next passing moments of the conversation. It seemed as though, now that she and Tricky were obviously of no threat, the excessively huge reptile was basking in his victory by spilling his entire plan; Krystal wondered if this was the way all the stereotypical baddies of this system went about their work. Regardless, her violet eyes widened as he told her that the Krazoa was a mere decoy, an overly obvious plot that would bring the Earthwalker King to Moon Mountain Pass with a small group of elites to stomp on the supposedly small bunch of Sharpclaw rebels. He let his group of twenty-eight get spotted by the surveillance Earthwalker troop at Krazoa Palace, and brought them back to Moon Mountain Pass where they would wait like sitting ducks until the Prince came.

"Kxo Prince?" Krystal interrupted, her jaw gaping a little bit at the sound of Tricky's title.

The oversized lizard nodded slowly, his sneer only gaining length as he continued. "Ooj. A opfoskot kxo Prince ke te jemokxadw uj hujx udt jkifat uj weadw veh kxo Krazoa ed xaj end." Krystal quickly translated his words as, _Yes. I expected the Prince to do something as rash and stupid as going for the Krazoa alone, _but his last bit made her heart burn with fervor as the words rolled from his serpent tongue: _A pure heart thinks of stupidity as heroism and ignorance as a good plot twist. You were both so utterly predictable; thank you for spelling the end of the Earthwalker King._

Krystal snarled at his words, expelling her sharpened pearly whites while her arms flexed to try and get free. Tricky, just outside, whimpered in defeat as he was once again struck in the back with a wooden club just to add to his misery. His sounds and thoughts of pure woe sent Krystal's already boiling blood over the edge, and she could feel herself about to snap. It wasn't often that she ever felt her primal instincts take her over, but the situation was too much. The huge Sharpclaw stood before her, crouched and guffawing with a roaring echo surrounding him, while Tricky's pure heart was being ripped to pieces. She, herself, felt torn apart as well, both kicking herself for being so easily fooled like this and for, as he said, being at fault for King Earthwalker's impending trial. She clenched her eyes shut while her nostrils flared, her arms still struggling with all their might to get free. The Sharpclaw around her were laughing obnoxiously at her attempts to free herself, shouting out random spurts of insults amidst their own mirth. She couldn't hear them though; she'd tuned out everything around her in her small moment of fury. In that instant, she was no longer the eye of the storm- she _was_ the storm.

With a loud, shrieking howl, her eyes flew back open, now being replaced by a blank and horrifying white as if their pupils had been stripped right off of them. In an instant, the walls that the Sharpclaw were leaning against shattered at their bases, causing the rest of the wooden planks to crumble in turn. All of their expressions became flushed as they scurried out of the way, tripping over one another to avoid the falling mass of lumber. Their leader tried to bark orders in Saurian, but he was uselessly drowned out by Krystal's apparently endless cry and the sounds of chaos within the deteriorating stronghold. Not one loyalist would pay him attention as they were too concerned with their own life. The ceiling caved in from the middle, the bulk of it dropping down and crushing a number of Sharpclaw beneath its weight. The point of impact was behind the seemingly possessed Krystal and the hefty Sharpclaw leader, who still refused to leave at the mercy of the much smaller blue mammal.

Krystal, meanwhile, had completely lost herself in the moment. She didn't even realize what was going on or what she was doing. She felt nothing with her body, yet she felt every spiteful emotion possible consume her mind in a violent whirlwind. She screamed; she screamed as loudly and vigorously as her little voice box could. She felt her fervor take complete control of her. She imagined crumbling cities and mountains as her home planet began to tear apart... She imagined being trapped in a gemstone case, being helplessly drained of her life... She imagined a certain tan fox barking at her with a callous expression plastered upon his once loving face... _"I don't want you to be a part of my life..." _She relived every single bad memory she had, and then began to imagine them to their worst potential. Malice overcame her tormented mind like the flooding waters of a broken dam; she had completely lost control.

Just then, however, her nerves felt a small shock at her neck, trying to bring her back from her completely mental state. Her mind became more and more conscious of her surroundings as she felt herself being thrown ferociously into the air like a ball by her small neck. For a moment, she felt completely weightless and at a standstill in the air, and it was that moment that the plaster of white in her eyes began to fade and her expression turned to one of loss. The vixen then fell lifelessly to the ground below, slamming against it hard and further aggravating her sore right side. Her body hopped back into the air only to slam down again, this time on her front side, and at last skid to a halt, resulting in quite a few scrapes beneath her sapphire fur. Her eyes remained open, but lifeless, as she tried her best to regain consciousness. She began to feel the panicked thought patterns of the bewildered beings around her as softly as the tiny droplets of rain that pelted her fur with a constant _pit-pat _sound. Her ears then twitched at the sound of the massive leader's voice barking orders, but she couldn't completely figure out what he was saying. It was all a blur, like trying to listen to a conversation above ground from below the water's surface. The only thing she could completely take in now were the sounds of nature, the rain as it once again soaked her cobalt fur and the ringing sound of thunder booming in the distance. But the pain... The pain was becoming overwhelming throughout her body, and she simply wished for it to leave her be. At last, she gave up the fight to return to consciousness and let herself ease back into the beautiful bliss of unknowing, feeling numbness as the pain of her body was left behind like a bad memory. A small smile crept over her lips like the single raindrop that trailed along them as she once again fell unconscious, leaving a wet mess of wood and bodies in her wake.

-----

Fox rubbed his tired eyes and grunted as he set down the blowtorch for a moment. He was on a knee beneath his docked Arwing, trying to make the necessary repairs to his shielding on his own- something he hadn't done in years since Slippy was here. As he went, his memory was jogged little by little on how the mechanics worked, but with that time came an agonizing headache, stemming from the back of his neck and spreading through the rest of his head like wildfire. This recent lack of sleep was beginning to get to him, but he didn't have too much of a choice; he couldn't sleep as it was anyway. Besides, working on his Arwing proved to be a good time killer before Great Fox reached Sauria- plus, it kept him distracted. That was why he left Rob stationed on the bridge rather than fix his ship for him as he usually chose to do during the few times that Slippy was away.

Right now, however, he was beginning to regret that decision as his migraine began to take its toll. He brought his paw down forcefully from his dry eyes, placed the metal faceguard down again and went back to work with his blowtorch, lodging the newly added piece of metal to the older connection. As he diligently worked, he didn't even notice the opening door above him or the footsteps of his father walking into the hangar.

"Couldn't sleep?" Fox dropped what he was doing in an instant at the sound of his father's voice, raising his faceplate up above his brow and looking to where the sound came from with a tired grin.

"Nah," was his laid-back reply as he crawled out from under the Arwing and stood back up. "Thought I'd finish what Bill's guys started before we got to Sauria."

"Why don't you just take another one from storage?" James questioned, assuming that the new Great Fox was set up like his original, with a large storage compartment right above the docking bay for excess Arwings and Land Masters.

"Eh, I've been with this baby for a while now. I figured I'd rather fix her up than just scrap her and get a new one."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," James replied as he jumped down to Fox's level, landing solidly on his feet. "Little Wyvern and I have been through thick and thin together... Even though it was originally piloted by _Pigma..._" James quickly changed the subject before he dwelled on that double-crossing swine again. "So, how come you couldn't sleep? You can't tell me you're not tired; you have 'exhausted' written all over your face."

Fox chuckled a little as he looked away, pondering a quick answer. Deciding that it'd be best to lay down the truth for his old man, he answered, "Just some bad dreams, that's all." Well, that was close enough to the truth.

"Ah," James said in a knowing tone, "The girl? Or something else?"

"Well, everything," Fox began, "I mean, yeah I can't get her off my mind now, but... I kept getting myself lost in the past, and only bad parts of the past, too. I started to remember mom and you when I thought you were gone, and Andross..."

"Son..." James cut him off as he searched for the right words to say. He laid a paw on his kin's shoulder and looked him square in the eyes through his obsidian shades. "I know it's hard, living without a mother. Trust me, it's hard living without a wife. But what's done is done, and if you live in the past, you're simply gonna ruin a good future." Fox nodded slowly, already knowing this, but James continued, just to stick it to him. "I miss your mom every single day of my life. I loved her, and you loved her, and she deserved so much better than what she got... But she wouldn't want to see us kicking ourselves for her not being here. You've got a great life and an even brighter future ahead of you, Fox. This girl... Krystal's her name, right? If she's the one, like I think you think she is, then once this entire dilemma is over, you can get rid of this empty feeling and take a chance on just letting loose and living a little. Drop your job for a little bit. Take some time off. Maybe get married, have some kids-"

"Whoa," Fox butted in, not wanting him to go to far, "I'm not trying to think of kids yet, Dad."

"Well, you should be. You're going on thirty, Fox. Now I'm not judging you, but you can't get too much older before you decide to have a family. Just stop over thinking things. This crap about 'not letting your love life interfere with work'? Forget it. It takes a lot of guts to go and fight on the battlefield, but to love somebody wholeheartedly... now that's the real adventure. When you settle down and let go of these inhibitions you force on yourself, you'll know what I'm talking about. And when you finally have a kid of your own..." James reached his paw from his son's shoulder to his cheek, patting it softly as he finished, "...you'll have everything you'll ever need."

Fox gave a bashful grin at his father's last words, blushing heavily beneath his fur. As if on cue, the comm. link on his wrist began to beep, and he quickly pressed the button to allow the transmission. "What's up, Rob?"

"We are now within launching distance of Sauria airspace," was the monotone response.

"Good. Thanks. Open the hangar on my signal." He then closed the link and looked back up at his father, whose body- and grin- hadn't budged an inch. Fox returned the smirk and bid him farewell. "Well, now's my time to shove off. Don't break anything, will ya?"

"I'll try not to," James answered with a laugh. "I think I'll catch up with Peppy if I can get a hold of him. I'm sure he'll probably have a heart attack when he sees me though."

"Heh, yeah... He should use the same line as General Pepper, since he's taken his office. You can reach him there."

"General Hare... It just doesn't sound right to me," James said with a shrug and another small chuckle. "Alright, son, good luck. If you need any help, get in touch with me and I'll be down there as soon as I can. And you better bring that girl back here; I wanna meet her."

Fox gave another nod and answered, "Don't worry, I will." With that, he shut the bottom of his Arwing and put his equipment to the side while his father climbed back up to the hangar's entry. As he opened the door, he called back to his son for one final word before the door closed behind him.

"Remember, son... Never give up. Trust your instincts."

Fox took the common phrase with a boyish grin as he climbed into the cockpit of his Arwing, throwing his sack of supplies behind his seat where it fit all too snugly. It was the same bag he had taken to Sauria just two years before; he figured why not take it again? He'd packed a canteen of purified water and rations in case he needed them. He wasn't sure how long it would take for him to find Krystal, or if he even would...

_No! _He immediately shook the thought from his head as he looked through his supply bag one final time to assure himself he hadn't forgotten anything. "Canteen, check. Food, check. Grenades, one... two... three, check. Spare radio communicator... Got it. Steel chord rope, and... distress beacon, got it all. Good." He pushed his bag back behind his seat and hopped in with the grace of a swan, checking over his instruments and commencing to shut the cockpit. As the layer of glass dropped over top of him, ending in a quiet hiss to signal the air lock, Fox reopened the link to the bridge with a push of a button on his wrist communicator. "Alright, Rob, I'm ready when you are."

"Affirmative," was the abrupt reply from the robot. As it made the preparations for the launch, Fox checked over his controls and adjusted his G-Diffuser system for atmosphere breach. He checked over his shield gage at least five times to make sure his repairs had worked, and the confident '89' displayed assured him of a safe trip. He gripped the levers at either side of him with white knuckles beneath his gloves and fur. Why he was so nervous about this mission, he had no idea. It was simple: go down to Sauria, where he'd explored the entire planet before, find Krystal, and see how things go from there. His dad was right; there was no way she could just blow him off if he really admitted he was truly sorry, which he was intent on doing. But these butterflies in his stomach... They just wouldn't seem to go away no matter how hard he tried to shoo them away. What if she didn't want to come back? What if she was lost? What if she was hurt? What if she was...?

Fox once again cleared his mind with a violent shake of his head and a long sigh, relaxing his grip on his Arwing's controls and calling for Rob again. "What are Krystal's coordinates? Are you able to track her Arwing on the surface?"

There was a hush on the other end for a moment as Rob made the configurations to track the ship. "Krystal's Arwing is located at 35° 40' N, 139° 45' E."

"Wait, 35° N, 139° E..." he mused aloud, "That's just about where I landed... Alright, she's in Thorntail Hollow. This should be a piece of cake- to _find _her anyway..." Before he allowed himself to think negatively about the situation again, he focused his attention on the docking bay door that was now sliding open and revealing the beautiful sight that was Sauria. It was like a giant white, blue, and green marble sitting atop a diamond-coated black velvet blanket. Fox took in the sight once again with an inward smile, but his determined aura never once left his expression.

Just before the hatch finished opening, Fox remembered the item in his breast pocket on the inside of his white shielding vest. He reached into it hurriedly and pulled it out gingerly, not wanting to crumple it at all. It was the photo of him and Krystal on Aquas that he had found in her room, out of its frame. He forced it in between two panels on his dashboard so it stood upright and faced him, almost as a reminder of what he was fighting for. He remembered his father had always kept a picture of Mom on his dashboard, and he figured he might as well follow the trend. It felt right, too, having a picture of them together there. _That's right, _he reminded himself, _that's what I'm going to Sauria for- and I'm not leaving without it. _A fire reignited in his eyes, he grasped the controls in what could have been a chokehold and slammed them forward, starting both pairs of engines on either side at full power, shooting him out of Great Fox and towards Sauria at top speed. The G-Forces pushed him back a bit, but he was quite used to the force by now and held his controls steady. He curved around to point the nose of his ship towards the location blinking on his display map, edging to the left a bit to account for turbulence once entering the atmosphere. He checked his shield gage and G-Diffuser settings one last time, then readied for landing.

It was as easy as usual when cutting through the thermosphere. It wasn't until he began to reach below 100km above the planet's surface that he felt the ship begin to rock. A red aura began to overtake the nose of his ship as the shields were heating up, and Fox cautiously adjusted the energy flow to contribute some of the blasters' power to the less-than-perfect shielding. The percentage began to rise, comforting Fox a little as his ship continued falling at gravity's beckoning.

Seventy kilometers... sixty... At fifty kilometers, Fox noticed something down below that wasn't at all to his liking- storm clouds. As he came closer to the area, he could make out that the clouds were a darker shade than normal, signifying a tempest for sure. Not only was it a storm, it was a _big _storm, as Fox couldn't see any brighter shading of clouds anywhere below him. He could try and pull up now by redirecting his G-Diffuser output and avoid the storm completely until it cleared up, but as he reached for the dash to do so, something subconsciously stopped him. It was as if he felt a presence, a sudden jolt inside of him as if someone was calling for help. _Krystal? _

The russet fox looked back towards the ground below with searching eyes, trying to find some sort of hole in the wall of dark clouds that he was heading closer to by the second. He was now past thirty kilometers above the surface, almost too close to try and pull back up from his freefall. His mind began debating against his conscience on what to do, neither side of him coming close to winning the battle. He looked back down to the planet, then to the kilometer readout. Finally, he had no choice; he had to try and pull it off. He'd landed amidst a storm before, even though it was rough. He could do it again. Piece of cake. His brow narrowing in fortitude, Fox reeled back on the controls, slowing his pace by about half with his G-Diffusers to make up for the lost reaction time caused by the clouds that obstructed his vision. He then pulled the nose of his ship upward by a few degrees; although he would miss his intended landing spot by a couple kilometers, it would make for an easier landing and he would still be within the boundaries of Thorntail Hollow. Besides, there was no telling where Krystal was at this point. She could be on the other side of the planet for all he knew.

But that something still continued to nag at him, that gnawing feeling in the back of his mind that felt like Krystal crying out in pain... Was it his mind playing tricks on him? Or was it Krystal somehow sending him a sort of telepathic message? Was she in trouble? Fox was fighting his own thoughts to try and remain focused on his own life as he had to land in the middle of a pretty powerful storm just kilometers below. He refocused himself, forcing worries about Krystal to stay behind for both her sake and his, then gripped the controls and reeled them back, coming as close to a complete stop as possible against his own momentum and gravity. The gray and black shield of clouds then began to consume his ship as he dropped blindly towards the surface below.

Flying went steady so far, and despite the constant turbulence, his map showed that he was still on course to land in Thorntail Hollow at the northwestern side, towards Lightfoot Village. Fox mentally crossed his furry fingers as he continued to maintain control over his ship, coming within fifteen kilometers of solid ground.

At last, he cleared the clouds, but he knew he wasn't out of the doghouse yet. Heavy waves of rain surrounding him continued to obstruct his vision, though he could still make out the Hollow below him. There were strikes of lightning everywhere too, clashing a bit more fluently than in normal storms. Fox pulled his nose further up so that he was almost parallel to the ground and increased his speed, hoping not to get caught by one of the bolts of lightning. The chance of actually getting hit by one of the strikes was slim to none, but Fox couldn't take any chances.

Before Fox could even think of cursing his luck, there was a blinding flash outside his cockpit, and an electrical surge traversed through the inside of his ship. Fox barely had time to shield himself with his arms as bursts of fire and electricity erupted on all sides of him. The bolt of lightning had also crippled his left wing significantly, and with Fox unable to even touch his flaming controls, the electrified Arwing spun out of control to its left, slamming straight into the large pack of trees on the outskirts of the Hollow. To any onlookers below, it looked like a falling star, a meteor, or even a fallen angel smitten down from heaven. The previously sleek and proficient Arwing now illuminated the darkened morning sky with brilliant flashes of red, orange, and blue as it spun violently, at last crashing into the woods below with no sound of an explosion. The mass of congregated trees clipped the ship's other wing and bent it out of shape considerably, leaving Fox trapped inside as it finally came to a halt about one hundred meters away from a cliff hovering over an active, white river and almost ten kilometers short of Lightfoot Village on the opposite side. Fox, still held within, didn't budge from his position; an eye didn't wince, an ear didn't twitch, not even a grunt passed through his open jaw. Blood soaked his fur along his brow and on his left shoulder; possibly other places too. As the rain continued to splatter against his dead Arwing, putting out the still flickering fires surrounding his cockpit, the flow of electricity died and vanished, and a complete shutoff of the ship's power automatically commenced to avoid any further damage to the pilot. The pilot wasn't moving, however, while his own crimson blood ran down his fur like the water droplets ran down his cracked cockpit window. Fox McCloud was down.

-----

Alright, late addition at the end. I was going to begin the next chapter with this sequence, but after beginning to write it, I felt that it fit much better at the end of this one. I also changed the chapter name to something that sounded cooler, for anyone that cares. Sorry to do this to you, but you're smart folks. I'm sure you can handle looking back at this one to find the missing plot if you start on the next chapter first (which I hope to have finished by Friday). I'll put another note there just in case. Again, sory for the mix up and late-addition posting, but hopefully you still enjoyed the new ending of this chapter. I'm still editting old chapter with the help of a beta, and I've decided that once I've finished posting the whole story, I'll repost the remade chapters all at once to finally finish the story for good. Hope you all enjoy the final product and- hopefully- my other Star Fox stories to follow. Anyways, I'm done with this author's note; it's time for me to give my dad's laptop back. We're going to go see Blue Man Group tomorrow- I CAN'T WAIT!


	9. Realities

**Disclaimer:** Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

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**The Shards of a Broken Krystal - **by Staindgrey

**Chapter IX – Realities**

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It was about midday as the rain continued to seep through the ceiling of tree branches covered with red and orange autumn leaves, though one could hardly tell the morning from night in the shadows of the thick storm clouds looming up above. The ground below was darkened with the trees' shade as it soaked up the rain water like a sponge. The trail there was narrow and unleveled, leaving puddles of ranging sizes along the path. Two armored, green Sharpclaw trudged through the wet and muddy mess as they carried their victim in their paws, the front one holding its arms and material bag on his back, the one in the back, her legs. They had been traveling for close to an hour now, though neither of them minded. Their boss had told them to 'dispose of the mammal', and they did as they were told; it was merely a bonus that they were eating up a lot of time doing it. If they took long enough, maybe they could miss the battle with the Earthwalker King entirely and save their own hides. No one would ever know.

"Oei kxadb kxaj aj vuh odeiwx?" the back Sharpclaw grunted to the other. The one in front looked around him, taking in the surroundings through the static of rain with his beady, yellow eyes. He then shook his head no.

"De. U rak vihkxoh." Both Sharpclaw soldiers knew that they were inching ever nearer to Lightfoot territory; the shedding dicot trees gave it away, as this was one of the only territories on the planet that had such broad-leafed trees. The sight would have been much more beautiful without the storm overhead, but neither of the Sharpclaw cared too much for the view anyway. Instead, they continued along their makeshift path, slipping and fumbling here and there, but making sure they kept a tight grip on their unconscious captive- after seeing what she did to their base, they didn't want to see her awake again.

As the two began to argue over leaving the body where they stood or continuing onward, their conversation was cut short by a rather close burst of lightning, resounding with a huge, crashing thunder less than a second afterward. Both dinosaurs caught their tongues and looked toward the luminous flash with wide eyes, wondering if it was from the blue mammal they held or even the Krazoa within her.

The Krazoa Spirits were of more than high regard to the inhabitants of Sauria; no one wanted to get a spirit angry and suffer the assumed consequences. Each of the Sharpclaw presumed that the sudden explosion of power that came from this female earlier was from the Krazoa within her body, which was why neither of them was brave enough to even attempt to kill her, as was ordered by their leader. Instead, they dragged her as far away as they possibly could from Moon Mountain Pass, hoping in the depths of their hearts that they wouldn't be smote for their actions by the Krazoa somewhere along the way. This fear was the reason for their sudden arrest at the bright flash of light and the cowardly begging within their minds that the lightning was not supernatural. The soldier in the back accidentally dropped one of the vixen's legs as it slipped through his wet, scaly fingers. But soon after, he dropped the other on purpose while yelling to his comrade, pleading that they leave.

"S'med, Krozo! No doot ke wok eak ev xoho!"

"Senuht!" the one named Krozo scoffed in return, still holding the arms of his prey with a steady grip. But that grasp instantly melted like ice over a flame as something flew past above him, cutting through the mass of branches and higher trees overhead. Both Sharpclaw looked up to witness what seemed to be a flaming meteorite passing through the wood like a hot knife through butter. The nose of the object stuck out like the muzzle of a great beast while flames and sparks of an inexplicable blue energy flashed on all sides of it like magic. Without waiting to see where the phenomenon was heading, the leading Sharpclaw dropped the mammal's arms like anvils and ran back the way he'd come, slipping the mammal's knapsack he'd been carrying as he did, thinking it may be cursed as well. The other Sharpclaw was already ahead of him, slipping through the muddy mess while his heart raced to the beat of a jackhammer. Both 'warriors' were gone from the scene in but a few moments, neither bothering to look back for even a glance. The blue fox they had been carrying lay on the sodden ground lifelessly, a faint amount of air passing in between her lips as the driblets of rain smacked against her body without rest.

-----

Fox came back into consciousness slowly as his eyelids rose with the pace of a lingering slug. As he took in a breath of fresh air, he began to remember all that had just happened: the storm, the flash, the crash... His eyes shot open to their full extent as he looked over himself in pure apprehension. He lifted his paws and examined them- he was unscathed. He felt along his head for any bruises or cuts, but found none. Either he was in the afterlife already, or those new safety precautions put into the next-gen. Arwings were more than just lifesavers. Fox moved his legs beneath the cramped control panel and, though stiff, they worked just fine. Apparently, he was okay. His Arwing, however, was another story.

During the crash, all the power systems of the ship had powered down, most likely due to the massive overdrive of electric current the lightning bolt had forced the ship to endure. Fox remembered, though, that a new automatic power control system was put into the ship to regulate electric flow in case of an emergency, one much like his, or, on the opposite end, one like the gravity bomb explosion that his father had experienced, where the entire ship's power shut off leaving not even the oxygen producer in running condition. His Arwing, thankfully, kept power out of the blasted open fuses surrounding him, but left enough to keep the artificial atmosphere within his airtight cockpit up and running, so he wouldn't survive the crash only to die of suffocation. Fox thanked the workers at Space Dynamics under his breath and proceeded to reach for the manual hatch opener. He grabbed onto the small, silver latch and pulled it down forcefully, unlocking the cockpit shield and cracking it open just wide enough to fit the furry digits of his paw through. He did so, pushing upward as hard as he could from his awkward sitting position until it was high enough for him to pull his entire body through. As he hopped out of the cockpit and onto its slick, wet metal edge, he swung his legs around to face the ground below him where his wing should have been, then fell skillfully onto his feet and stood upright.

"That'll be a pretty steep bill," Fox mused with a small sigh following. He supposed it would be best if he finally let this one go and moved onto another Arwing from storage- it'd be a hell of a lot cheaper. His grounded aircraft was only a shell of what it once was, its sleek, chrome paint replaced by scorch marks and scuffs aplenty from the impacts with multiple trees. Both wings were missing; only black nubs were left in their place. Fox looked back behind the ship where a small passage of bent and broken trees pointed up towards the sky, then he thanked the ones upstairs for allowing him to still be able to walk.

Pushing thoughts of his wrecked companion aside, the russet Fox reached for his communicator and punched in the numbers for Great Fox's frequency. "Dad, come in. This is Fox. I've landed on the planet, but..." Fox paused for a moment to look back at his Arwing, then finished, "...not too gracefully. Do you copy?"

Fox waited with rapt ears for an answer. None came.

"Rob, this is Fox. I'm down. Get James McCloud on line." He waited a few more moments; no answer. Fox cursed his luck for a moment then punched in the code again to make sure he had it right. Another try- no go. "Damn it, there must be something blocking the transmission..." he thought aloud.

"Too bad," a raucous, elder voice boomed from behind him, "I guess your team won't be here to save you this time around." As Fox whirled around in a heartbeat, which his heart had skipped in that instant, his wide, unbelieving emerald eyes beheld the one thing he dreaded to ever see again. It was a giant ape, though in its normal, complete body size. His fur, matted and wet with the dribbling rain that continued to beat against it, had the color of the sand of an overused beach. Atop his head lay a sopping mass of stringy gray hair while several liver spots could be found on his sinisterly smiling face. His eyes were beyond menacing; their cold, devious glare cut Fox to the bone with fear, even after seeing them twice before. With a small yet rumbling chuckle, the beast rose from his sitting position to a slouched gorilla stance, placing his weight on his fore knuckles. His sneer widened at the sight of the bewildered son of James McCloud before him, who looked like he had been frozen solid in all but his trembling lips that could hardly utter a word.

"An-Andross?" he stammered. Andross gave a widened smile in response, confirming the vulpine's evident fear. "No... No, you're dead!"

"I've been dead before, boy," the gorilla answered as he inched nearer to him, still on the other side of his destroyed Arwing.

"No! I must be having a nightmare! You're gone!" Fox's words were a little cliché, but they were all that were running through his mind as his racing heart nearly exploded inside his chest. Without even thinking about it, he reached for the blaster holstered on his right hip and aimed it at the much taller ape, firing almost ten shots before finally backing away a step. Much to his dismay, however, none of the shots seemed to make contact and the gorilla's leer was still as strong as ever. How...? was the only word that formed within Fox's anxious mind.

"You're going to need a lot more firepower to bring me down, boy." The aged gorilla then leapt on top of Fox's Arwing, denting its hood further with indents of his ape feet while his massive hands gripped the edge of the ship, readying for a pouncing leap. As he lunged for his prey, Fox's survival instincts kicked in in the knick of time, forcing him to roll to his left and out of the gorilla's reach as he passed over. Andross latched onto a slim tree, however, and swirled around it, hurling himself back towards the vulpine at full speed. Turning just in time to see the primate flying towards him with killer instinct, McCloud once again dove out of the way. Fox tumbled and returned to his feet, holding the charging latch on the side of his blaster to form a red ball of energy at its tip. As it charged to full power, and his enemy began charging for him again, Fox let it go, the gun's recoil forcing him backwards a bit, but not knocking him off his feet. Andross, however, merely batted the blast away as if it were nothing, letting it explode harmlessly in a set of trees nearby.

Fox was awestruck. Not a muscle in his body even tensed up as the gorilla came ever closer; he'd subconsciously admitted defeat. Andross latched onto Fox's face, muzzle and all up to the eyes, and lifted him easily from the ground, leaving his legs dangling lifelessly above the sodden earth. Fox's jade oculars saw everything- the massive ape that held him, his glaring eyes and sneer plastered upon his face, and each individual raindrop as it collided with his furry skin and exploded into even smaller droplets- but he didn't believe one ounce of it. This couldn't be real. Andross was dead; he knew it this time. There no way he could have survived again, no way at all. But there he was, holding him helplessly like a play toy in the air.

"You aren't your father," the giant ape mused. "You never were and never will be. You were just an angry kid with a whole lot of luck." Without warning, Andross slammed his prey against the ground, receiving a yelp of pain in return before he grabbed him again, this time by the neck, and pulled him back up. "Fox McCloud... Hmph. You don't deserve to carry your father's name." As he threw him across the small clearing, he shouted, "You don't even deserve to carry his luggage!" Fox tumbled over twice on his side before his back slammed into a tree, stopping his roll indefinitely and leaving him lying there in pain. Surprisingly to him, though, was the fact that he mainly felt pain in his head, his left side and shoulder, and his right paw. Those areas were stinging like crazy, yet his back hardly felt an ounce of pain after ramming into a stationary piece of lumber. He didn't give himself much time to wonder as he pulled himself up into a halfway sitting position, leaning with most of his weight on his right arm. He felt a burning sensation on his paw and wrist, but that was still better than the throbbing throughout his left side. "Pathetic," he heard Andross grunt as he began walking near.

"Don't you ever..." Fox began, pushing himself up to a knee then rising to his feet, "...talk about my father..." he was now standing fully, albeit holding his left shoulder in pain, with his emerald eyes matching Andross's with the glare of a fierce predator.

"...AGAIN!" With that, the fox charged at the primate full force, leaping into the air for a running jump kick aimed directly for his ugly mug. Andross merely laughed at his efforts as one of his enormous brown hands took a hold of the young vulpine's shin and threw him back behind him harmlessly. Fox spun around in the air before again colliding with another row of trees and hitting the ground hard soon after. The pain in his left side was more than excruciating now, but that was all he could feel besides his hand and forehead. Maybe he had hurt them internally during the wreck without realizing it? Of had he gone insane during this short escapade?

"I'll talk about James if I so choose," the ape huffed as he again began walking towards the fallen fox. "He was a true warrior and a worthy opponent, even for a great gorilla like myself. You, however, never deserved to take his place as the Star Fox leader, or to be a leader of any sort. You've let your luck go to your head; I'm here to remind you of your weakness." He stopped for a moment to wait for the vulpine's wincing eyes to lock with his. "James McCloud was a hero. You are no hero."

"No... I..." Fox coughed as he tried to push himself back up, but he just couldn't seem to find the strength to. There was no way he could let himself fall this easily, but how could he beat such a massive beast?

"Die, Fox McCloud!" Fox braced himself for the incoming hurt of a lifetime. He heard the gorilla stomping closer, the time between steps decreasing as he came closer. He imagined his fist rising high into the air to give him one final, fatal blow, then everything would be over. He braced himself, silently thinking, I'm sorry, Dad... as he awaited the impending strike...

But nothing came. The sounds of the ape's trudging feet sloshing through the wet ground stopped, his roar stopped; everything but the ever constant sound of pounding raindrops stopped, leaving Fox in a world of silent pain, both inward and outward. _"You never deserved to take his place as the Star Fox leader... or to be a leader of any sort... You are no hero..."_

Fox opened his eyes again and saw everything he had seen before, minus the gruesome ape. He slowly sat up and took in his surroundings- the leaves were scattered across the ground, the rain continued to poor, the trees were wet and the color of chocolate, and his Arwing was still dead without question. He grabbed his shoulder as it once again cried out in pain, but couldn't seem to feel any blood or sign of a bruise or fracture there. Slowly and gingerly, he pushed himself back up to his feet and looked around once again for Andross. Had he imagined the whole thing?

Just then, he heard the familiar sound of an Arwing engine. It was unquestionable; he knew that sound just as well as anything. He looked to the sky where it was coming from, but he could barely see anything but the gray overpass of clouds beyond the mass of tree branches and autumn leaves. As the sound came closer, Fox jogged out into a larger clearing just past the woods. The path lead to a ledge with a running river way down below, as Fox had seen before on his mission to Sauria over two years ago.

Once he made it away from the cluster of trees, he once again looked to the sky, waiting patiently for the incoming vessel and hoping to God its pilot was here to rescue him. Maybe it was Slippy, or Falco, or even... her. This apprehension nearly rid him of any thought of Andross, where he'd disappeared to or even how he'd gotten there. All those thoughts were now pushed to the back of his mind, but they were completely diminished at the sight of the incoming Arwing- it was engulfed in flames like a falling pillar of fire. What made Fox's heart drop to his feet, however, was the sight of the person inside-

"KRYSTAL!" Fox could see her unconscious expression as her cockpit rolled over to face him. She was heading for the edge of the cliff just a bit further ahead and showed no signs of slowing down. Fox's adrenaline count skyrocketed as he dashed with it from below, screaming Krystal's name over and over as he did. The sight of her dead inside that metallic coffin flashed before his eyes, and he pushed himself far beyond his own limits to get to her. Every step seemed too slow, his feet were too heavy and his heart just couldn't seem to pump fast enough. Fox raced inside his mind but his body couldn't keep up; the Arwing, now twirled around so that the cockpit was facing upwards, crashed violently into the ground at the edge of the cliff, ending in a devastating explosion of blinding, red fire. The fire's luminous aura reflected in Fox's wide open eyes as all time seemed to stop for him, the image caching itself into his memory without conscience. From the giant fireball, the form of a blue vixen was flung from the cockpit, then left to freefall towards the river below.

"KRYSTAL!" Fox lunged through the magnitude of flames with his forearms shielding his face, and once again he felt nothing. He paid that absolutely no mind, however, as he practically flew over the cliff's edge, falling quickly towards the bottom of the valley behind the helpless, blue damsel. He screamed her name again, hoping she would somehow wake up; somehow, she did. Her body was turned to face him, and her eyelids slowly parted, expelling the beautiful sapphire orbs held within. She mouthed something to Fox, and although he couldn't hear it over the wind in his ears, he could make out, "Help me, Fox."

The tan vulpine cut through the air in the short amount of distance he had, using his elongated body to pierce through it better than Krystal's powerless shape. Her back was facing the water below, her arms and legs flailing limply upward with the constant rush of air that passed her. Her eyes were pleading for Fox to do something, to be her hero once again- Fox couldn't take it. He screamed her name at the top of his lungs once more and reached out his right paw, stretching it as far as it could go. His mind screamed at his body to reach further, to go faster, to save this girl's life before it was too late...

At last, he latched onto her wrist with a grip that could easily crush a soda can, but, luckily, not a vixen's arm. She gave a small, half awake smile in gratitude, but they weren't out of danger yet. Fox looked below along the quickly passing canyon wall and spotted a large branch extending from it just below them. He braced himself and caught it with his free left arm, feeling screams of protest stemming from his shoulder as he hung on for dear life- for his own and for the one of the woman he held onto. He cried out in sheer, fiery pain as he struggled to keep a hold on Krystal beneath him. She held onto his wrist in the same way he held hers, reinforcing the grasp to make sure she didn't fall. Fox's hand and wrist burned at the embrace, only adding to the nearly unbearable amount of pain he felt. His mind fought and fought to keep holding on, but his body felt as though it would give way at any moment. His arms were tearing away from his torso, and his chest was about to burst. He couldn't take too much more...

"Fox..." a pleading, hushed voice came from beneath him, barely hearable over the crashing of the wild white river further down below. Fox looked back down into the heartthrob eyes of the blue vixen with a mix of pain and helplessness in his own. He wanted to say something, but his groans and yells of pain were overcoming his power to talk. "Fox..." she pleaded, "Don't let go, Fox... Please don't let go..." Fox felt his grip slipping as rain continued to pour against their arms along with the rest of their bodies. Her wrist fell through his grasp, bringing the base of her palm forcefully against his fingers. She held on tightly to his hand, but continued to slowly slip away. Her eyes were enough to kill Fox with grief, but the insurmountable pain throughout his body was doing that already.

"Kr-Krystal-" He tried to say something heroic or at least optimistic, but nothing came. He yelped once again as fires erupted inside his shoulder, and his paw involuntarily let the weight he was bearing slide even further down. He was now holding nothing but her slender fingers, and he could barely keep a grip on those.

"Don't... let..."

She couldn't finish the phrase as Fox's paw finally gave way, letting the vixen fall down towards the deadly rapids below. She didn't scream. She didn't flail around in vain. She simply stared at her failed hero with a glazed over stare that expressed what words could not. Their cold, dead gaze never vanished, never even blinked as Fox watched her form fall inertly into the rushing water, being swept away and pulled into its depths with ease by the overpowering current. _"You are no hero..."_

"NO! KRYSTAL!" was all that escaped his lips as Fox let go of his branch and fell into the current after her, still feeling the burning sensation erupt in every part of his body. He hit the water, being immediately pulled under as well and forced to fight for his own life, save someone else's. Despite his bad shoulder, he fought to get back to the surface, but was only able to catch a small breath of air before being instantly pulled back under. His arms flailed around in attempts to command his own motions while his legs kicked furiously to do the same. He plunged straight into a large rock pointing up from the ground below the surface with unrelenting force, and it knocked what little breath he had out of his lungs as he twirled around futilely in the water. His muzzle was wide open, but there was no air within reach. Fox continued to look around him with wide, fearful eyes through the rushing water, unable to see anything past his own nose. He tried to once again cry out for Krystal, but there was no air to do so with. He continued splashing around and trying to swim against the current, but nothing worked. He could feel his strength sapping away steadily, flowing out of him just as quickly as the river's tide, yet he still continued to search for her. _Krystal! Krystal... Please..._ Fox was beginning to lose consciousness as the undercurrent pulled him down into the depths of the river. His emerald eyes slowly closed, his mouth still in motion to persist in trying to scream out the blue vulpine's name. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the voice from earlier replayed, stabbing the fallen champion's heart one final time before death: _"You're not your father. You never were. You'll never be. You're no hero, Fox McCloud..."_

-----

Fox awoke with Krystal's name violently escaping his lips. His eyes were shot open. He was panting. He felt pain in his left shoulder and side, his right forearm and paw, and his head, along with the cool, runny sensation of a familiar red liquid running down his face. He was alive.

Every single hair on Fox's body was on end. It was all a dream, but it had been as real as anything for him. He tried to recollect all of it and calm himself at the same time, but the now real pain all over his body didn't serve as much help. He winced as he tried to move himself; he was still in the cramped confines of his own ship's cockpit. The real life crash was a bit less forgiving than the one in his dream. Every fuse and screen around him was blown and shattered, but there was luckily no electric current passing through the ship at all. His cockpit window was closed to also shattered, the visible indent of his forehead causing a web-like form of cracks to stem along the front glass pane with a few holes left there. Fox reached to try and push the window up, but the pain in his shoulder returned with a violent resurgence that caused him to once again give a hushed yelp and place his paw over the wound. There, he felt one of the remains of the window lodged into his muscle, not too deep to cause serious long term damage, but more than enough to make it hurt like hell. Fox began to slowly pull it out, only to find that it hurt even more to do so. Gritting his teeth and clamping his eyelids closed, his grabbed the shard of glass and yanked it as hard and fast as he could, pulling it al the way out and leaving the sting of air against an open wound in its wake. Fox let go of his held breath and laid the bloody piece of glass at his side, then rubbed his wound gingerly to ease the pain the best he could.

"I can't believe that was a dream..." he thought aloud, "It seemed so real... Andross... Krystal..." Fox silently wondered if it was foretelling something, or if it was possible that Krystal was trying to use her powers to tell him something. But he quickly dismissed the idea as far too supernatural. What were real were these wounds and his need to get out of this godforsaken ship. Just like in his dream, he grabbed onto the manual opening latch with his burned right paw, tried his best to ignore the resulting pain and pushed down on it, pulling the cockpit open with an uncanny grinding metal sound. Fox pushed it up best he could with one arm, the small fragments of decimated trees lying on top not helping in the least bit, then pushed himself out of the cockpit seat with his, luckily, still useable legs. He looked at his burned hand, which was now stinging almost as badly as his shoulder; the fire had sure burned it, all right. The palm of his glove was gone and the fur along that same spot was either singed or replaced with heavily burned skin. He shook it around a little as if to help with the pain, then placed his feet on the edge of the Arwing, ready to jump off. Before he did so, he reached back behind the seat and pulled out his bag, which had some burn marks on it but appeared to have survived the wreck. He slung it over his good shoulder then hopped onto a fallen tree leaning against his Arwing, climbing carefully down it until he reached solid ground. It was no longer raining, but the log was still quite wet, which made it all the harder for the injured fox to make his way down it without falling off and further hurting himself. At last, his feet touched the sodden earth below, and he stood to look at his surroundings.

Everything was much like his dream, save a few minor details, the rain, and, of course, one big, ugly gorilla. Fox took a cautious walk around the Arwing to make sure no one was waiting for him, then went back to the right side of it to find the first aid kit stored there. He pushed a fallen log aside to get to the compartment where it was, then tried to pry it open best he could. It was heavily dented and wouldn't budge. Fox turned to find a decently thick piece of wood and picked it up, then turned back around to face the unopened compartment. He lodged the piece of wood into its side, pushing against the opposite end to spike the metal frame off and send it falling to the ground with a loud clank. Inside was a plastic white box with burn marks along its edges, which Fox happily took out and placed against the ground nearby.

"Alright, time to fix myself up, then go find Krystal," Fox told himself as he opened the container, glad to see that its enclosed items were still intact. "I'll give Dad a call then wait for him at Lightfoot Village. I'm sure the chief won't mind me staying there till morning." With that, he began to remove his clothing delicately as he could, hoping to whomever was watching from above that Krystal would be okay while he waited to heal.

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EDIT:

I'm alive!! I updated this chapter just to let everyone know that I am, in fact, still alive and have not given up on this story. It's something I've wanted to get to for a long time now, but have had a hard time either finding time or, when I have the time, motivating myself to do it. I feel extremely bad for leaving my readers hanging for over a year now, and I WILL finish this story. The sequel idea, however, is out, so I will simply finish this one as well as my other incomplete stories, then move onto a, hopefully, epic and huge Nintendo/Sega cross over I have outlined. But, enough about that, I simply wanted anyone who was still looking forward to this story that I WILL finish it in the coming months, and I am currently working on Chapter 10 (I lost my Starfox Adventures booklet, however, so I'll find a different way to translate to that dino language). So, I apologize to anyone who has long awaited me to finish this, but I promise that you will enjoy what I finally put up if you read it.


	10. Sacrifice

**Disclaimer:** Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

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**The Shards of a Broken Krystal - **by Staindgrey

**Chapter X – Sacrifice**

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The stars were an absolutely beautiful sight; he wondered why he didn't gaze upon them more often. Here in the silence of space, with nothing but the constant hum of his ship's oxygen-producing unit to distract him, he could, for once, lie back and just enjoy the wonderful view of outer space from the safety of his cockpit. No dogfighting. No work. No mammal drama. Nothing. Just him and the vast, gorgeous reaches of space. It was like an enormous black background with flickering snowflakes everywhere, suspended in time in some paranormal sequence. To his ship's portside was the all-too-familiar Sector Z, a peculiar nebula that formed a rather vague form of the letter "Z". It showed a bright array of yellows and oranges from as far as Corneria on the other side of the system, a feat that the darker Sector X couldn't match. But now, with the cloud of star dust so close again, the pilot couldn't help but get caught up in memories made in this place...

His ephemeral muse ended abruptly, however, at the sound of the comm. link beeping, nagging at him to answer. The navy bird shook his head and wiped some weariness from his eyes from waiting out here for so long; perhaps this was who he'd been waiting for. "Better be..." he muttered to himself as he hit the button to start communications with an aggravated pound.

"Starfox mercenary aircraft, do you read?" The man had a professional tone to his voice, something that brought a quick grimace to the pilot's face._Damn, I don't think it's them_...

"Yeah, loud and clear."

"Identify yourself."

"Name's Falco Lombardi."

Then there was a silence. Falco waited for some sort of response, but apparently whoever was on the other line was processing his information; he couldn't really think of anything else he could be doing at the moment. Falco couldn't see any ships nearby, so either it was cloaked or they had a better radar system than he did. It was safe to say the latter was the case, since the Arwings themselves didn't have too great of systems on them; the Great Fox made up for that.

"So, you came after all." Falco's features went from sullen to shocked at the sound of that voice. That sultry, challenging purr...

"Katt." He stated her name with a grin tugging at the side of his beak as her face popped up on the video transmission screen.

"Good to see you're as crazy about me as ever," she said with that same seductive feline voice.

"Or so you'd like to think," Falco shot back, just as coolly as she had sounded. "I'm here to get away from Starfox for awhile. Drama's never been my thing."

"So you came to me?" she pointed out with an arched eyebrow, more than subtly reminding the bird of the drama they'd always started themselves. Falco merely scoffed.

"Just let me in the port. I wanna know what this job of yours is."

"Will do. We'll set off a beacon. Follow that into the ship's port and dock there in any open section you wish."

"You guys have your own ship now?"

"Mhmm," she purred, her smile widening some. "Money isn't as tight as before. I'll tell you more once you get your bony ass in here."

---

Fox made his way through the makeshift path of mud and fallen tree branches with all the elegance of a drunk finding his way to the bathroom before hurling. The storm the night before must have been an incredible one, he mused as he beheld the dicot trees' bare arms and the mix of mud and formerly brightly colored leaves at his feet. With every step he took, he picked up another sloppy _squish_ sound like someone smacking their lips all too loudly whilst eating. His uniform boots had changed from a shiny platinum to the dullest of browns in this short trek- he'd only traveled, by his estimate, less than a third of a kilometer from his downed ship by now. He was packed for a long haul, however, with his pack bulging past its standard size strapped to his back, and it didn't even hold his trusty blaster, which was latched to the side of his thigh as usual. Inside the pack he'd managed to fit the same canteen, food rations, grenades, spare communicator, steel cord rope and distress beacon from before, plus his first aid supply and a spare fuel cell left undamaged from his Arwing, just in case. The bag was heavy and its weight only seemed to exponentiate the more it yanked on the vulpine's bad left shoulder, but he showed nothing of it besides the occasional unavoidable grunt of discomfort. It's not that there was anyone around to impress; that was simply him.

"Krystal..." The name came out as no more than a breath. Why he said it, he wasn't completely sure, nor was he even completely aware he had even said it. But she was on his mind. The image of her in trouble, reaching and crying out for him when he wasn't there, remained constant in his throbbing head, only making his progressive migraine all the worse to handle. Luckily the now bright afternoon sun came down on the fox as no more than random drops of light through the dense amount of branches havering above him, so at least he could see without squinting to the point of not being able to make out anything a meter in front of him. He'd taken pain medication from his first aid kit earlier, but so far, he didn't feel a bit of relief. It probably came from his constant use of the drugs, but such was the life of a mercenary fighter, the life he didn't want Krystal to lead...

_Damn it,_ Fox cursed himself. Again, he couldn't shake the thought of himself turning her away, blatantly ignoring her pleas to stay, to just be with him. He stared at the ground now, not bothering to mind his surroundings or even gaze upon the wonderful, natural sight that he hardly ever took the time to notice in the first place. His ears drooped like a saddened puppy, but his eyes were locked to his own feet as if he were trying to shoot beams right through them. He was blind to the world, to where he was heading, to everything but her.

"_...then I don't want you to be a part of my life."_

Suddenly Fox's attention returned, his features jolting into a puzzled expression before his mind could even comprehend why. His mind processed what just happened as if it had been shut down during his daydreaming: he kicked something. That something was abnormal, and it caught his attention. What was it? Now he concentrated... _that staff?!_

That was it, alright, half submerged in the muddy ground and growing pile of dead leaves; he wouldn't have noticed it unless he'd nearly tripped over it. As he beheld and confirmed it to be Krystal's staff, Fox's facial features twisted between shock and gratification, resulting in something that resembled bad acting in a black and white horror film. Stunned for a moment, his body at last did what his mind was screaming for it to do and reached down to pick up the shortened blue stick, yanking it out from its muddy confines with the sucking sound of a plunger. He slowly, almost unbelievingly, wiped the sheet of brown from it with a gloved paw, then held the staff up to see the metal shine for all it was worth in a small beam of light that had made its way through the immense army of tree branches above.

It was just the way he remembered it, with the elaborate engraved pattern of a bronze-gold color covering the shaft and a beetle-like golden head with a bright, cerulean gem glowing in its center. The bottom end resembled the top, but was much smaller and less elaborate, like an overshadowed kid brother. He found the extending switch on the shaft's side and flipped it, feeling the familiar sensation of the staff stretching out to its full length and reminding him of his first trip to this planet. He flipped the switch back, letting it collapse to the size he'd found it, then flipped it again to repeat the process, as if to prove to himself this was indeed the very same object.

"Krystal!" he blurted out, "She must be close!" His head jerked to either side in a frantic motion, as if expecting her to be hiding behind a bush nearby. Fox's whole body turned full 360 as he surveyed every surrounding element and, regrettably, failed to find a single clue as to where she went. Without further hesitation, he lunged forward into an instant sprint in the same direction he had been heading, his mind seemingly forgetting the painful state the rest of his body was in. He had to find her. He had to. There was no telling where she was now, or who she was with- who had her. Fox knew that on this planet, there was no way she would have carelessly left her staff lying in the mud, and that simple thought set off like a bomb at the end of its fuse as he carelessly ran without a direction. Logic was now out the window. She was his mission. She was all that mattered.

"Krystal!!" He yelled her name again, begging for a call back... but received none.

---

"_Krystal!!_"

The blue vixen's eyes shot open like she had just been sucker punched in the stomach. She gasped for air as if she'd broken the water's surface while her heart stopped for the whole eternity her mind was stuck in. She heard it. She heard that epitomized thought of sheer desperation, that cry of love for an agonizing loss. It was deafening, a scream on the side of a canyon that echoed inside her mind again and again and again. It broke her heart just to hear it, to feel the indescribable sensation of complete loss of one's love. She wondered, could it be...

"...Fox...?"

"Vep aj unubo!" Her ears were barely adjusted; they felt like they were still ringing from her telepathically rendered scream. She closed her eyes and gently shook her head, trying to regain full consciousness, though it was harder than she figured. Everything was spinning ever so slowly. Where was she? Who just yelled? The voice was unclear, but raspy and shrill. She couldn't concentrate hard enough to sense his emotions at all- that one distant but fervent one was still clogging her head, which, as she knew right away, was throbbing at the moment. She attempted to reach a paw up to uselessly rub her forehead, only to have her arm met with heavy resistance. She tried again, but still, it wouldn't budge. She tried the other arm- no go. At last, she opened her glazed eyes once more, now able to make out much more of her surroundings.

"Unubo! Unubo!" The annoying one-word repetition was coming from a Lightfoot before her, his back turned to her as he signaled others with the simple word, "awake". Though still somewhat dazed, she could tell he was referring to her. Now would be a good time to fully wake up.

She gave her arms another try, but they refused to move. They were tied down against her sides rather uncomfortably. In fact, she now realized her entire body was tied up, save her midsection, ankles down and neck up, to some sort of pole sticking straight towards the sky. At this realization, she instinctively writhed around weakly, obviously unable to break her bonds. It was useless to persist, but she continued anyway.

"Ugh! Cok mo we!" she grunted helplessly in the Lightfoot's language, her voice gaining strength along with the rest of her body. The vixen's sense of urgency kept her attention, not allowing her to even try and remember any reasons for why she was here in the first place. "Cok... mo... we!!"

She watched as the Lightfoot villager cocked his elongated head back to eye her, giving her a glare that spoke for itself: "Shut up, prisoner." The gallimimus dinosaur looked almost like a raptor, only with a much longer body frame and much more powerful legs, which made his glare all the more gripping. He was clad, like the rest of his brethren, in a mess of homemade bead necklaces and colorful war paint from mixtures of crushed berries, most likely indicating his rank or clan in some way. Krystal knew of the dated tribal style of Lightfoot Village, and how, no matter the reason for them actually tying her up like this, there was to be no negotiation. Out of a growing desperation, she continued anyway.

"Idkao mo hawxk den!" In an instant, she was struck in the stomach with the dull end of the Lightfoot's spear, successfully shutting the blue fox up as well as emanating a choking gasp for air from her. Her body clenched and braced for more, but that was all that was to come for now. She took the hint.

"Chief Lightfoot!" one of the tribesmen hollered in his weaselly voice. That ridiculous voice made it hard to take most of this tribe seriously at times, Krystal mused with a smirk. But at the sound of their leader's name, two rows of apparent elites stood upright at attention with their spears just as erect as they were at their sides. Within moments, the burgundy, well clad Lightfoot leader waltzed through, nodding at a few of the onlookers with a belittling smirk painted on his snout. Despite walking much lower than the straight standing warriors on either side of him, he seemed so big simply by the associated veneration of the crowd. Everyone waited on his word, on his movement. Krystal was sure that wouldn't bode well for her.

Finally, after taking his time escalating the steps leading to the top of the plateau where Krystal resided, he stopped a couple meters ahead of her pole, turned to his audience and, like the soldiers already had, stood back on his hind legs to gain a good half meter in height. He scanned the crowd for a moment, flared his nostrils with a loud sniff, then cocked his head upwards, trying to open his throat for a less scratchy voice as he shouted, "Lightfoot!"

"Veholoh!" the mass responded in almost perfect unison, pumping their tiny fists to replicate their chief's motion.

"Udt veholoh!"

"Lightfoot!"

"Weet. Den..." He fell slightly, letting his body fall to a much more comfortable position for his skeletal type. The guards, however, weren't so lucky. "Oei bden nxuk xuffodadw." Krystal, in any other situation that didn't involve her tied up and fearing for her safety, would have giggled at this tribe's broken language. But, she still got the point. "Kxoho u Krazoa Spirit adjato kxaj vep. Jxo jkeco Krazoa vhem Shrine veh olac!"

"What?!" Krystal blurted out in her now instinctive Cornerian. His speech may have been broken, but she understood the message perfectly. She had a Krazoa within her, and he accused her of stealing it for... evil? "A tat de jisx kxadw! A nuj khoadw ke julo ak vhem kxo Sharpclaw-" Her plea was cut short by another, harder, jab to her stomach by the butt of the same Lightfoot's spear as before. The chief didn't even seem to notice. He continued without missing a beat, reminding everyone of what they must do with a carrier of a Krazoa Spirit, something Krystal wasn't excited to hear in the least: a burning sacrifice. "De!!"

As the chief continued his monotonous speech, detailing how the Krazoa was trapped within this mammal's putrid body and why it wanted to be set free to travel to the heavens, only to bless their tribe for doing so later, Krystal hardly paid attention. She was now furiously wiggling around in whatever amount of leeway her binding ropes provided, which was close to none. She kept her oncoming grunts to a minimum so she didn't attract enough attention to get thumped in the stomach again, but plenty could hear her whimpers as she tried desperately to get away.

_Thwack! _This strike was much harder than the others and chased the vixens breath out of her like birds through an opened cage door. Her head jutted forward as she coughed loudly, her eyes shooting open at first only to clench tightly as she began coughing up a lung. In this short moment without the strength to continue her useless animation, she closed her eyes and thanked the gods that the chief felt the need for an elongated speech and tried to focus her energy on something more valuable. As her coughing eased, she kept her eyes closed, concentrating her telepathy on the surrounding individuals. She was hoping for someone, anyone to have a negative thought about this ceremony, a worry for her safety, anything. The feelings were almost all identical, not a single free-roaming thought in the pack. They were like sheep being herded by their shepherd. It was so sad, really, but Krystal hardly had the heart to feel sympathy at the moment.

That's when she felt it, the plea for help. The cry for justice from one of the silent lambs. Her deep navy eyes shot open again, a newfound eagerness shining brightly in them as she scanned the crowd towards the back right corner, trying to find the straggler behind them all that was being so cautious to step up-

"...Fox?!"

---

Fox read her lips as she nearly yelped his name and instantly pressed a furry digit to his own lips to signal for her to keep quiet. The two remained in a deep, fixated stare for what seemed much longer than it was, each one just too happy to finally be seeing the other again to look away. Their last words spoken to one another were nothing more than a distant memory. Fox became lost in those beautiful blue eyes he had taken for granted before, feasting upon their beauty with his gaze like a starving beggar on a t-bone steak.

Though this moment could have lasted forever, Fox at last broke the stare as he fell lower behind his wall of shrubs. He kept his eyes attentive and above the greenery, however, as he scanned the mass of dinosaurs, wondering what the best strategy would be to get Krystal out of here. He had been proclaimed a member of the tribe by the chief himself as a humble gesture after he had defeated Musclefoot, their most physically gifted member who happened to be standing next to Krystal at the moment, in strength and speed contests. How official that proclamation was, though, he had no idea, and he was positive that it didn't give him the authority to stop this ritual by any means. But should he charge in with his laser blasting or try and work it out diplomatically first? If the whole tribe ganged up on him, he was sure to get tied up to the same pole Krystal was, and that wasn't going to help the situation at all.

Krystal tried not to look in his direction too much; she didn't want to give away his position in case one of the tribesmen got suspicious. But she couldn't help but continually glance towards the brush where he was, wondering what was taking him so long. His thoughts were much calmer and logical now- no doubt he was formulating some sort of plot. That was when her subconscious brought her back to the chief's speech as her ear caught something that caused a jolt of fear to run through her entire body: "...Den! No jok kxo Krazoa vhoo! Rihd kxo jushavaso!" _Burn the sacrifice!_

Fox was, at this point, trying to turn his translator on, the same one that Slippy had developed for him nearly a decade ago. The clunky wristband was, so far, unresponsive, something he should have expected after such a long time of disuse. "Damn it..." he grumbled, cursing himself for not testing it before he left as he continued to fiddle with his device, pressing any button available to try and spark it on miraculously. His head shot back to attention, however, as a roar of close to one hundred gallimimus dinosaurs echoed within the small clearing of the huge surrounding wood. His jaw gaped slightly at the sight of Musclefoot reaching for an inflamed slab of wood that another, smaller, Lightfoot handed him. No time for a translator.

"No!!" Everything stopped. The crowd's enormous cheer died down to a near-silent grumble, then to a dead silence comparable to the vast reaches of space. All heads were turned and all eyes were locked on him; Chief Lightfoot's were the most noticeable with their cold glare, save Krystal's look of utter relief. Fox was now standing in the same stance he'd landed when jumping out from the bushes, looking tall and proud in his classic Starfox uniform, which had a mystic shine to it with the high afternoon sun beating against it, like the armor of a knight on a mission to save his fair maiden. His emerald eyes glimmered even more in the sun's glow; they were two emerald gems set afire, burning with a white hot intensity that mocked the sun's sheer existence. His dramatic, storybook entrance wasn't followed by a graceful one-liner, however.

"Let her go!"

Most of the dinosaurs' heads jerked back slightly in a confused look. Some of them looked at each other, shrugging slightly and murmuring. Fox looked around hesitantly, then realized, _Duh. No translator. Moron..._

"Nxuk rhadwj oei xoho, Fox McCloud?" the chief asked from atop his plateau, his head cocked to the side with a sly grin on his elongated face. "Uho oei nakx xoh?" His head jutted to the opposite side with the last word he said, pointing towards Krystal, still strapped to her pole. Fox had no idea what he'd just said, but at the mention of Krystal, he instinctively nodded, not sure what else to do. The Lightfoot leader's lighthearted grin was then replaced by a completely opposite solemn frown while he stared down at the fox. "Loho nocc." He raised a tiny arm and swept it through the air to point it at Fox with a frightening forcefulness to it, all the while his leer turned into a downright evil glare. "Rihd xom uj nocc!"

"No! Fox!!" Krystal's outcry was more than Fox needed to realize how sour the situation had turned. Survival instincts kicked in as he felt the weight of a hundred or so stares from the entire tribe and he reached down for his blaster, whipping it out and aiming it forward with both paws gripping it tightly, one uncovered digit latching onto the trigger, ready to fire at the first notice of attack.

"So much for diplomacy..." he muttered while he stayed at his position, not budging an inch to prove he wasn't backing down from the odds. As for the dinosaurs themselves, most of them couldn't hide the apprehension this new object brought; none of them knew what in the world it was. Fox was hoping that alone would scare them away so he wouldn't have to use it. So far, that hope was alive and well. "Krystal!"

It took her a moment to respond, whether she was dazed or just caught off guard by his calling her, he wasn't sure. He glanced up at her, meeting her eyes for a moment before focusing his attention on the crowd of Lightfoot tribesmen once more. "Yes, Fox?" Her voice was timid, as she was most likely trying to avoid another strike to her abdomen.

"Translate for me," Fox demanded, still constantly glancing between her and the horde of dinosaurs before him. The ones with spears were ready with them, but stationary, while the rest of the tribe merely stood in apprehension, ready to leap either towards Fox or away from him; their eyes showed much more fear now than belligerence. "I mean no harm, just let the girl go and I-"

"But Fox," she interrupted, "they want my Krazoa Spirit!"

That comment drew Fox's attention almost too much, as his entire head flew in the vixen's direction, as if to prove to himself that what she said was true. It was; her eyes were flooded with a light shade of violet, indicating the binding of souls within her with the Krazoa. How he'd missed that before, he would never know. His eyes darted back towards the sound of a moving guard, willing him to halt with frightening glare. "Why the hell did you steal a Krazoa?"

"The Sharpclaw tricked me into it!There's a new lead- ack!" Her sentence was abruptly cut off by another jab to her exposed stomach, which drew Fox's full attention once more. This time, however, he pointed his blaster at the abuser atop the plateau. The guard lowered his spear quickly, not wanting to see whatever magic Fox's pistol possessed, but the vulpine's attention was once again thrust in another direction as he heard some guards inching closer again. This tennis match continued for a few more moments, as he tried to show both the ground level and top of the plateau equal heed. Fox began to slowly, carefully back up, placing one foot behind the other at the pace of molasses.

"Krystal, you alright?" he asked before again pointing his weapon at the smaller guard beside her, assuring that she wouldn't be hit again. She nodded.

"Yes, I'm... fine." She coughed again to prove just the opposite. The answer was good enough for Fox.

"Alright. Tell the chief..." His arms jerked towards the slowly approaching spear-wielding guards before continuing. "...what you were trying to tell me, only, you know, in dino-language."

"I tried! He wouldn't listen before."

"Make him listen."

"Fox!" she scolded, making him heed her. "These tribal types won't listen to reason. You know that better than I do!" For a girl that had just been punched in the stomach, she sure had a boom to her voice, Fox noted. However, what she said was true. Considering the current circumstances, there was no way that Chief Lightfoot would swallow his pride and simply say, "Oh, my bad. Sorry," in front of his entire village. The only tactics now were, one, to scare him into letting them go, or two, drive the entire tribe into extinction. Fox chose the former.

"'Kay. Tell him..." He pondered for a moment, his adrenaline overridden mind trying to formulate some sort of plan while it spent almost all of its energy focusing on not dying at the hand of one of those ready and willing spears. The tenseness not only kept Fox on his toes, but also made it nearly impossible to think outside the box. "Hmm... Tell him that the Krazoa is angry, and if he does not release you, then... I don't know, it'll burn down his whole village or something."

"Do you honestly think he'll buy that?" she questioned. Unlike most every other mind in the area, the chief's was strangely calm and not stuck in overdrive. That couldn't bode well for her or Fox.

"We won't know 'til we try. Tell him."

She did just that, translating Fox's rough outline with some edited details, in particular, that she was a sacred vessel chosen to return the Krazoa to its palace, and if he destroyed her, then his entire tribe's fate would be sealed. She thought it was rather convincing, but the Lightfoot leader merely laughed. His shrill guffaw caught both mammals off guard, drawing both their sets of eyes, which each looked quite confused.

"Nxo Krazoa de tojkheo!" he belted, "Edco rcojj! Oei aj cauh! Bacc nxom rekx!"

"Uh... Fox?" Fox didn't need a translation on that one; the crowd's quick demeanor switch from hesitant to virulent was more than enough to prove that the chief had just shot down their story. The armed tribesmen now scooted closer at a quicker pace, making Fox back away quicker as well, beginning to make a lap around the plateau beside him.

"Krystal," he called, waiting as he tried to think of something comforting or inspiring to tell her. Alas, nothing that cool came to mind. "...get ready."

His plan was simple: fire a shot or two, scare the hell out of them, then jump and grab the ledge of the plateau, climb up, dodge or hit whoever's trying to get in his way, then slice through Krystal's ropes before carrying her off to safety. There were only a few problems with the plan, such as how the hell he'd scale that wall with his taped shoulder, or if he would have even close to the amount of time needed to cut her free before at least one Lightfoot was leaping on him. Oh, then there was that walking abnormality, Musclefoot. In short, he was screwed.

"HAH!!!" Fox shouted as he pulled the trigger at last, setting off a tidal wave of an assault towards him. He hit the front dinosaur right on target, directly in the chest, and sent him backward into the one behind him before falling to the ground screaming and yelping with his last few breaths. To the Starfox leader's dismay, however, this didn't scare off the others in the least bit. They now bull-rushed him, all screaming and holding either their weapons of clawed hands at his throat level. It was a sight horrifying enough to make Fox decide to fall back, but it wasn't quick enough. Suddenly he felt a spear graze his side despite his leaping backward; that sharp sensation was then followed by a razor stabbing into his opposite leg as a set of claws dug into his heavy cargo pants and attempted to rip the flesh right off of him. He yelped in pain before firing more, much more misguided, shots, but it didn't do much to slow the fervent offensive.

Krystal watched in horror as Fox's body was swallowed up in the crowd, hardly anything of him visible to her now but his randomly fired laser sparks that flew into the air like a light show. Her heart dropped and shattered in her hanging feet as was caught in time, unable to believe that this was really happening. It was a dream; it was all a horrible, terrible dream, one that she would be waking up from any moment. Any moment...

"FOX!!!" Her scream was one that surpassed her vocal cords' limits, the sort of scream that couldn't be faked or acted out or rehearsed. It was something that she had never experienced before, even when fearing her own death. Its force could not only shatter mirrors, but move mountains with its sheer emotion; it was the cry of a heart for her loved one before impending death, begging the gods to save him despite all odds. She continued to scream, lashing out at her binding ropes with all the might her smaller body could muster. Her head flew in every direction like a seizure as she tried to will the ropes off of her, slamming her head against the pole behind her without a care. Tears flooded her clenched eyes as blood began to seep from the newly opened skin from her desperate and futile attempt to break the ropes that kept her sidelined, away from Fox. She didn't feel a thing. "NOO!!! FOOOOX!!!!"

That was when she was stopped. It wasn't from another pound to the stomach, or even any contact from a Lightfoot at all. Her teary eyes shot open as she felt her body collapsing to the side- in fact, the entire pole she was tied to was falling. An eternity passed in the short time it took her to hit the ground, and she watched every detail of every second as it passed before she was brought back to reality with a hard slam against the ground on her side. With her limbs still bound to the log against her, she couldn't do much to brace herself. She grunted and clenched her eyes shut again, nearly losing her breath for the fifth time in the short time she'd been awake. Snapped back to consciousness from her temporary departure from reality, she felt her whole body scream with pain, begging for release in some way. There was none, however, and her log was suddenly lifted by one of the strands of rope, tightening its grip on her fragile frame and making her all the more miserable. With a weak yelp, she began to lose consciousness, just barely able to make out the Lightfoot leader hollering _She escapes! After them!_ before drifting off into stasis again, her body simply unable to take the stress any longer...

Fox, meanwhile, was fighting for his life before those blessed words were hollered. He was using his whole bag and the butt of his gun to break jaws and kneecaps, trying desperately just to stay alive. At the sound of the chief's mangled voice, however, the attacking claws and spears slowed to a stop, and he was eventually left alone. He didn't stop, continuing to strike anything close with a loud yell of superficial might, cracking bones and dismantling faces of whatever he could reach. Only a few Lightfoot were still there, but they backed away from the mad fox as he swung his makeshift weapons without reserve or even calculated motions- he was now nothing more than a killing machine fighting for its own survival. Their leader shouted something else before they reluctantly pulled back, eying the maddened vulpine before at last fleeing and following the rest of the pack out of the village.

Fox, however, was still in survival mode, throwing his pack around by its strap like a mace at nonexistent enemies shouting in a rough, weakened growl, "Yeah, you want more?! Huh!! Run, you damn cowards!!" As they ran, however, their tails hiked up in his direction, Fox gradually fell back into the realm of sanity, aided by the flood of pain his nerves forced upon his mind. He didn't even notice it yet, but his fur was soaked in patches of crimson. His suit, bullet-proof vest and all, was torn and mangled. He shouldn't have even been standing, a fact that soon enough took over as he reluctantly fell to his knees, gasping for air like there was none left to breathe. Finally, his whole body collapsed against the cold, sodden earth, still soaked by last night's rain. His eyelids lowered, but he refused to drift into unconsciousness; Krystal was still in trouble.

"Krystal...?" He tried to yell, but it came out as nothing but a whisper, if that. He was so weak, but his mind stayed strong. He couldn't let himself go down. "Krystal?" He repeated her name with whatever force he could garner, though it still never surpassed a rough breath. The silence was killing him. He couldn't hear anything. No screaming, hellbent Lightfoot, no chief barking orders, no Krystal, no fire, no motion... nothing but a very gentle breeze blowing right into his erect ear.

"Un...ugh! Krystal!" He managed to push his upper body upward, much like a push-up position with his knees still grounded. His voice had also elevated to that of a loud grunt, but still, he received no answer. "Krystal!!" He closed his eyes as he fought the pain, making his body stand to its feet against its will. His head rolled back as he almost fell backwards completely, but somehow managed to keep his balance. "Krystal!!" He could find nothing to say but her name, the name of the woman he needed now. She was his mission... had he failed his mission?

His legs walked like his shoes were made of lead, while his paw weakly remained attached to the strap of his pack. He took a moment to reach down for his blaster on the ground, fighting the urge to just lie back down and rest, then locked it back in its holster on his thigh- the two large gashes in the material luckily didn't hinder its use. Still dazed and feeling like his world was spinning, Fox continued his search, Krystal's name echoing like a broken record through the empty village while his own blood ran over his eyes from a small gash in his forehead, causing him to continue his search blind. "Kryyyystal!!!" He had to find her. She was his mission, his goal, his lifelong dream. He couldn't fail.

He just couldn't fail.

---

Falco followed his former (public) love interest as she swayed her hips seductively in front of him, a walk that exemplified her personality the way Falco knew it so well. He tried his hardest to not constantly glance at her butt while she shook it, knowing that that's just what she wanted. It was a game they played every time they reunited; both were quite used to it by now. This time, however, Falco was determined not to fall first.

The ship itself seemed brand new as the bird's eyes remained on every surrounding besides the feline ahead of him. Every corner was spotless. The floor was waxed and shiny as if it were covered in a clear plastic coating. The paint was as fresh as possible without being wet and even the signs and the doors they were attached to seemed unaged in every aspect. It was safe to say that whatever the gang's money acquisition that Katt mentioned was, it was recent.

"Here," Katt purred, motioning towards a small table with a brand new leather sofa on one side, a comfortable recliner on the other. Falco returned his attention from the random sign he'd made himself focus on before to the pink-furred cat, nodding and moving around the circular table to find his spot on the black sofa. He didn't bother to take off his leather coat, which was standard apparel in this rambunctious gang of roughneck mercenaries, as he sank into the new smelling leather, spreading his wings over the back of the couch in a perfect relaxing position. He heaved a small sigh as he watched Katt slide into her seat on the opposite side of the table, something that somewhat surprised him with plenty of room on either side of him remaining free.

"Nice place," he said nonchalantly, once again looking around at the interior of the ship and avoiding direct contact with Katt's succulent form perfectly outlined in an overly tight black uniform. "You know, I've got plenty of room over here..."

"I thought this was strictly business?" she teased, her voice once again purring in a sultry tone. Falco merely shrugged. "Well, before you try too hard to get in my pants, let's actually discuss business."

"Fine by me." It was sad, really, what their relationship was. But being so close to her, Falco could hardly deem it the painful experience logic called it any other time.

"Alright." She lifted a paw above the table now, flipping the bird the file she'd been carrying down the hallway. It slid and twirled a short distance across the table, landing right at Falco's edge perfectly. Falco's sly expression stayed etched in stone as he almost scoffed, even though Katt was one of the few individuals in the galaxy that could see through his tough guy persona without much effort. With a feathered digit he flipped the file open, finding inside a short stack of maybe four or five papers, the front one in letter format and only half filled with any kind of wording.

As he read the opening lines, Falco's grin gradually faded into a diminished frown, then into a full-on grimace. His eyes grew at a steady pace, seeming like they would bulge right out of their sockets if he continued reading. "This... no, you can't... be serious?" He flipped past the first page, looking at the others quickly before locking eyes with the feline again, begging for some sort of indication that this was, indeed, all a joke. There was none.

"C'mon, Falco, don't look so shocked. It pays very well. You can live here, with us-"

"No, I can't do this." Falco immediately, decisively, closed the folder and pushed it back across the table like a whining child that didn't want to eat his peas. Katt's smile never faded.

"Falco, Falco, Falco... You _can_ do this. You'll be with us, your friends." She leaned forward against the tabletop, resting her chin on her palm as her elbow jabbed down into the hardwood. Falco's eyes stayed locked with hers for a few moments, still filled with a questioning look that she was so unaccustomed to seeing from him. He then looked away, his mind obviously waging a war inside his head. She giggled in a low purr before reaching a hand out to rub the bird's jacket arm, grasping his attention again. "Sleep on it. You'll make the right decision."

Falco once again looked away, scoffing at her comment and jerking his arm away in apparent disgust. But all the while, Katt never showed an ounce of surprise or worry. She knew he'd give in. For now, however, he showed no signs of it.

As he rose to his feet, he kept his eyes off of her, choosing instead to stare blankly at the ground while he fought himself over the issue, he said in a quiet, simmered voice that didn't fit him in the least, "...I'll think about it." With that, he walked back down the hall where they'd come, not once looking back at Katt or in any direction but ahead. Katt merely smiled, uncrossed her legs and grabbed the forlorn file, then followed after him with the confident knowledge that she had him. The payday wasn't going anywhere.

---


	11. The Line Between Good and Evil

**Disclaimer:** Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

--

**The Shards of a Broken Krystal - **by Staindgrey

**Chapter XI – The Line Between Good and Evil**

--

A hundred wasps had just stung him. No, a thousand. A million even. Even better: a million wasps, lit on fire, just went kamikaze on every inch of his body. This is what Fox McCloud was imagining with every painful second that passed.

He was used to having bones broken or heavily bruised, or having an open wound, or even a few of both simultaneously. But the pain he felt now was different. It was like a fresh paper cut on every square centimeter of his skin. His formerly golden-tanned fur was now, for the most part, painted a deep burgundy, with some bits matted and wet with still fresh blood. By all means, he looked like he was hanging onto his last breath, though he felt otherwise. He'd had worse, physically speaking. The only problem now was fixing himself up to avoid multiple infections on this prehistoric planet, and quickly. Fox could already feel a buzz in his senses from the loss of blood, most likely due mainly to the largest wounds he had, located on his left oblique directly under his already aching ribs and on the thigh, just above the knee of his right leg, which he was currently dragging in a moderate limp. He wasn't in the greatest of condition, no doubt, but he didn't have time to stop and take a breather. Not now.

Fox let out a disgruntled sigh as he forced his body to continue, to suspend its much-needed rest for just awhile longer. Whether he'd find Krystal before he passed out or not, he had no idea, but he at least had to get to a fresh water source before that happened. He'd have to simply trust that there wasn't any hazardous bacteria in the water and clean his wounds out; he really had no choice at this point. Both of his communicators failed to get any response from Great Fox, and Corneria was far beyond his simple technology's range. Until he got a hold of his James on Great Fox, he had no support. "Dad, where are you...?"

He'd come to the conclusion that either his father had taken the luxury of heading back to Corneria to see some old friends or there was something in the atmosphere blocking communications. Either was plausible- Krystal had mentioned that she was tricked into capturing a Krazoa Spirit, so there had to be something of larger proportions going down on this planet, but Fox could only hope that it didn't involve her...

"Aha!" Before he could delve further into the agonizing thoughts of where the vixen could be now, he spotted a single curve of a small running creek just past the row of trees a few tens of meters ahead of him. For the first time since finding Krystal's staff a couple hours before, Fox displayed a positive emotion as his ears perked and a content smile graced his lips while he quickened his limping pace. Once he cleaned up and bandaged himself, he could go after her again and find out where the hell she went to now.

The creek wasn't large at all, explaining why he couldn't hear it before he spotted it. It was only a fourth of a meter deep, if that, but the fact that it wasn't still water was enough to convince Fox it wouldn't kill him. With a grunt of satisfaction, he practically threw his bulging backpack against the blanket of leaves on the ground, loving the loss of weight on his aching shoulders before falling to his knees at the edge of the lazily running water. Immediately he leaned down to scoop some up and taste it, just to make sure there wasn't anything peculiar about it. By what he could tell, it was just water. Nothing to be afraid of. He slurped it up like a parched dog for a moment, then wiped his lips and turned back to his bag to find his canteen.

"Man, am I glad I found you," he told the creek with a joyful smirk. With a wet and bloodied paw, he twisted the cap off of the container, then held it against the weak stream, letting the bottle fill up. His free paw, meanwhile, dipped into the liquid and began to clean off his face, in particular, just over his eyes, where he could feel the nasty sensation of dried blood clinging to his fur against his eyelids.

Once his canteen was filled, closed and put away, Fox began to undress, not caring in the least if a passing native saw him in his birthday suit. It wouldn't be much of a sight at this point anyway. He started scooping more handfuls of water and cleaning his fur, the feeling of those half a billion paper cuts returning tenfold whenever he ran his hand over the many spear, claw and teeth marks located anywhere and everywhere along his body. Despite his failure to save Krystal, her disappearance seemed to be luck finally shining down upon him- had Chief Lightfoot not sent the whole tribe after her right away, he'd surely be a goner. But still...

He had no idea where she was, or how she got away. He assumed she didn't break free, as her first instinct would have been to rescue him. As stupid and reckless as it would be, he knew that she would have flung herself into the melee with whatever blunt weapon she could find- hell, that's basically what he did. Perhaps she would have shrewdly drawn attention to herself first as a distraction, but she wouldn't have just _left_ like that. No, someone else got to her while Fox distracted the whole tribe. That would explain the stump left from the pole Krystal had been tied to, which he saw when looking frantically for her in the ghost town of a village after the whole tribe went in search for her. Whoever had captured her from her captors, Fox had to assume he wasn't on his side, otherwise he would have at least attempted to save his life as well, or at the very least let him know that Krystal was safe somehow. His instincts told him that he, or she, was affiliated with whomever had tricked Krystal into bonding with the Krazoa in the first place. That gave him a moderate sense of peace, though, since she would be spared for the Krazoa within her for the time being, assuming of course that that was their plan all along. Fox's best bet now was to continue through the forest until he reached Thorntail Hollow. He may run into her captor along the way; if not, he'd be able to rest in the Hollow for the night, then continue towards Krazoa Palace, which was, for now, his only good lead for where she could be heading.

"When I find her," he playfully mused as if talking to the creek again while he pulled the first aid kit from his pack, "there's two things I'm gonna do. First, I'll take her back to Great Fox and introduce her to my dad. Then, I'll take her back to my room and show her just how much I missed her."

--

Krystal couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu as she slowly regained consciousness. Her head was searing in pain and her body was strapped uncomfortably against a hard, dry log. Her eyes remained closed for now as she tried to will her migraine to nonexistence; alas, it wouldn't work. The back of her neck continued firing waves of pain throughout the rest of her head and she could hardly take it. She tried to concentrate on what had just happened, or where she was, who was around her... anything, really, but this persistent earthquake in her skull just wouldn't leave her be.

"Ah, you're awake." The voice sounded far and distant; she could hardly make out anything about it besides the fact that it was low-pitched and masculine. Her eyelids fluttered to a half open gaze as she tried to look around, but everything was just so bright. She clenched them shut again, repeating the process until her full vision came back.

"Fox...?" It was her first instinct. She couldn't help it. "Is that you?" Her voice was rather weak but still strong enough to reveal her accent while her muzzle began to form a hint of an excited smile.

"Sorry, but no." Her smile quickly faded. She waited for some kind of confirmation of who it was, but he stopped there, not saying another word. Her face contorted as she struggled to read his emotions, but she was just too distracted. That voice, though... she knew that voice.

At last, she could open her eyes without feeling like they were burning right out of their sockets. She turned her head towards where the voice was coming from, realizing now that she was lying on the ground as she beheld a towering figure blanketing her from the sun that was high above him. He sat on a large, moss-covered rock of some sort, supporting his large upper body with his elbows on his knees, both of which shined with the bright silver patches of his otherwise deep lavender uniform. His features were mostly shadowed and dark from their eclipsing of the afternoon sun, but his beady, golden eyes seemed nearly as bright as Solar itself. She knew those eyes.

"Panther?!" Her eyes exploded past their normal size, a feat for the vixen who couldn't hardly open them moments before. She received a nod in confirmation as the cat stayed seated beside her, looking down upon her.

"Yes, lady. Panther is glad to see you've regained consciousness." That was him, alright.

"Where's Fox?" Panther seemed a bit caught off guard by her sudden question regarding Fox McCloud, as if he honestly hadn't expected it.

"He was fighting off those dinosaurs back there while I came in and rescued you." His low purr was proud and diligent, highlighting the part about rescuing her as if to remind her that he had, in fact, done just that.

"You mean you left him there?!" Krystal now didn't look at the cat, once again clenching her eyes shut as she tried to calm the fires of her migraine. Her booming feminine voice, however, was anything but relenting.

"He was alive," he did his best to console her. It was a little awkward to do, however; after all, wouldn't she know that he wouldn't have any motivation whatsoever to save the leader of his rival team? Unbeknownst to her, his mission was supposed to see him die anyway. "The entire group chased after us once I took you; they let him be."

"You're sure?" Her eyes, flooded with a very light violet that Panther couldn't help but notice and perplex over, came open again as she gave him a pleading look that he couldn't overlook. The feline nodded with a faint smile.

"Your commander is strong, I'll give him that. I'm sure he's after you as we speak."

"So that's why you've still got me tied up." Krystal's eyes were locked with his now, remaining a challenge despite her current predicament. She knew him by now, and she knew the invisible leash that any strong woman had over him. It was obvious that the only reason he came to her rescue was for love interest, as his expression hardened the more she mentioned Fox.

"Not exactly." Panther leaned his head back, rolling his neck around while he continued. "You were left that way to make sure you didn't lash out at me when you awoke, or try to run away. You see, we were hired to dispose of you."

"What?"

He quickly clarified, "Someone hired Star Wolf to dispose of your team, either by death or capture. For the lovely Krystal, Panther chose 'capture'."

"I'm flattered, really." Her rather thick accent was quite apparent as she tried to sound grateful; she had to keep toying with him if she expected to be freed. She tried to push thoughts of Fox in danger to the back of her mind- she should trust that he had survived and was well. Panther said it himself: Fox was strong. "So what will happen to me now that you've captured me?" Her voice showed a small hint of seduction, just enough to catch Panther's attention. He didn't seem fazed.

"Commander Wolf will have the final say, but if you decide to join Star Wolf, I'm positive he would allow you. I'd be more than pleased to see that happen." His lips curled into a sultry smirk, one that Krystal did her best to return with a flutter of her eyelids.

"Well, assuming the alternative is much worse, I don't see how I could possibly refuse..." Amidst the conversation, Krystal couldn't help but feel extremely unappreciated. Here she was, trying to seduce an enemy for the betterment of the one she cared for most, the one who had shunned her away just days before. Yes, he had come to try and save her, but... how could she forgive and forget so quickly? Krystal weeded out these stray thoughts for now and remained appealing for show, knowing it's what Panther wanted. Whether he knew it was a front or not was anybody's guess since he was quite intelligent but seemed to be falling for the ploy anyway. Then she remembered the others and couldn't hide a quick look of shock when it hit her. "And what about the other members of Star Fox? Are you after them too?"

Panther chuckled in his low, sultry purr, amused by her obvious worry for her friends. "No, if you mean Falco, Slippy and Peppy. We were informed that they had all left the team if only momentarily. Our mission was to eliminate the remaining members, but let Great Fox be."

"Let Great Fox be...?" she repeated in a lost tone.

Panther nodded. "Yes. I'm not sure if Wolf knows the reason for it, but if he does, he didn't inform me. We don't particularly care what our proprietor's intentions are with your ship, to be honest."

"How kind of you," Krystal shot back with more than a hint of sarcasm in her accented voice. Panther merely sneered. "So, how long do you plan on keeping me tied up, sir?"

Panther's almost menacing smile didn't fade; he seemed to be enjoying this very much. "As long as it takes to convince you that life is better than death, m'lady. Panther is doing you a favor, believe me." He at last stood from his rock, letting Krystal notice for the first time the sheathed fencing blade leaning against the same stone under his leg. "Your only viable choices at this point are committing to Star Wolf in some way or death. Commander O'Donnell doesn't oft keep prisoners for more than a day."

"Heh," Krystal scoffed lightly, "commit to Star Wolf? In other words, you're keeping me tied up until I commit to you."

Panther purred a laugh as he turned around and began leisurely pacing in no particular direction. "No, Krystal, you've got me all wrong. I'm trying to protect you. Panther does not ever hold a lady against her will for his own pleasure."

Krystal was beginning to find his random switches to third person amusing. "Well, I'm sorry, Panther, but I won't be 'joining' you anytime soon. My heart is taken." She spoke proudly, holding her chin high as she remained tied to her log on the ground. Panther stopped and turned his head to look at his captive, his golden eyes doing their best to pierce her soul.

"Or so you believe, m'lady."

--

Alright, once again school has taken over my life for a little while. This is what I have so far, reviewed and all, but there will be more added to this chapter, don't worry. My finals are in a couple weeks, then I'm helping my family move to Chicago and hanging with them for awhile. I was hoping to get this story finished by the end of the summer, but it's becoming more difficult since I'll be a nomad for most of the summer. I'll do my best for you guys.


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